Marxist Perspective

Question 1

Traditional Marxism- the manipulative or instrumental approach

Answer 1

Traditional Marxism comes from the work of Marx. It is a modernist, conflict, structural theory, which believed that through scientific study, the discovery laws would provide a means for improving society and lead to a revolution

Question 2

Key argument 1: Marx- traditional Marxism (structural)

Answer 2

• economic organisations of society was key to how it operated
• economic base influenced all other aspects (superstructure)
• Ideological Superstructure justified the inequality in society (Ideological State Apparatus)
  Key features of capitalism:
• private ownership of means of production
• class defined by relationship to means of production: owners vs non owners
• owners exploit non owners by extracting surplus value (workers produce more than it costs to pay them, workers do not receive full value of their work)
• interests of 2 classes will always clash
  Dominant ideology:
• Marx interested in how capitalists continue to exploit their workers
• used force, threat of unemployment not and poverty to control workforce
• controlled the thoughts and ideas in society; asserted ideological control
• produce a state of false class consciousness
  Marx added exploitation would only end when capitalism was overthrown
  Even when society appeared to be stable on the surface conflict remained underneath
  Marx rejected the idea of consensus; the values were not shared by all

Question 3

The Neo-Marxist Perspective

Answer 3

• idea traditional Marxism was too deterministic and failed to account for people to have some free will
• beginnings of new types of sociology which stressed social action not just social structure
• the failure of capitalism to collapse as Marx had predicted

Question 4

Key argument 2: Neo-Marxists- Althusser- 3 levels of Capitalism (structural)

Answer 4

Althusser argues the structure of capitalism consists not just of the economic base and superstructure, but had 3 levels:
1. The economic level- consisting of the economics and the means of production
2. The political level- consisting of the government and repressive state apparatus (those who have physical mean of keeping people in line)
3. The ideological level- concerned with ideas beliefs and value, this consists of Ideological State Apparatus, which are institutions that spread dominant ideology and justify power of the ruling class

Question 5

Key argument 3: Neo-Marxism- Gramsci- Hegemony (social action)

Answer 5

His concept of hegemony places more emphasis on ideology than just the economy in maintaining and influencing behaviour
Hegemony= spreading common sense ideas to divide and rule, it maintains the false class consciousness
This leans more towards social action and away from the traditional structuralism approach of classic Marxism as Gramsci was interested in people’s ideas and meanings. He believed people’s ideas and actions could bring about revolutionary change
The hegemonic curtains:
Stuart Hall in his study ‘Policing the Crisis’ helped develop the idea of a hegemonic curtains, which was a tool, used to maintain the false class consciousness