ipl-logo

Assess The Contribution Of Marxism To Our Understanding Of Education

840 Words4 Pages

Using Material From Item A and Elsewhere Assess The Contribution of Marxism to our Understanding of Education. (20 marks)
Marxists uphold a conflict perspective of the role of education in society – as Item A states, Marxists operate on the belief that education’s role in society is to acclimatise students to the two class system, in which they will be exploited by the ruling class.
As stated in the item, Marxists such as Althusser argue that the ruling class, or bourgeoisie, dominate and control the proletariat with both ideological and repressive state apparatus. Education, along with mass media and religion are examples of ideological state apparatus, which are used to indoctrinate the working classes with the ruling class’ ideas, beliefs …show more content…

Bowles and Gintis carried out a study in which they observed 237 New York secondary school students, and found that demonstrations of independence and creativity were suppressed with discipline and low grades, as part of an agenda to promote submission and obedience. Characteristics linked to obedience, such as punctuality, were promoted as vital skills which, if not developed, would lead to punishment. Bowles and Gintis argued that education does little to aid the personal development of a student, and even inhibits and distorts the development through the promotion of bourgeoisie ideals. However, Critical Modernists such as Morrow and Torres criticise this Marxist perspective for being too focused on class, and not acknowledging the other inequalities within society. Much like Postmodernists, Morrow and Torres argue that society is too diverse and imbalanced to focus on just one inequality, and that race, gender and sexual inequality carry as much, if not more weight than class inequality. They argued that an investigation into how other inequalities are reproduced in schools would be more appropriate, and that there should be focus on how the inequalities are

Show More
Related
985 Words | 4 Pages

Jay MacLeod’s book Ain’t No Making’ It is a treatise on social reproduction theory, that is, the ways in which class inequality is reproduced across generations, and is equally relevant and informative to understanding the cycle of poverty today as it was in 1987 when it was first published. The explanations of the life trajectories of the men studied in this book are especially important in light of the inflamed rhetoric and intense debate that characterize the interactions between the two distinct ideologies that have bifurcated the theorists of educational reform: Economically deterministic theories and the theories emphising the autonomy of the cultural level. Though the attempt of the author is to provide a perspective which allows for the simultaneous existence of the two theories. We will see that neither perspective can be said to be entirely endorsed by the conclusions found in Ain’t No Makin’ It.

Read More
1244 Words | 5 Pages

The reader has to understand that when Marxist ideas are discussed in literature, it has a different meaning to what ideas are represented when Marxism is discussed with politics or economics. Marxist

Read More
734 Words | 3 Pages

Shorris was researching for a book on poverty, and he was influenced into completing an experiment where he would teach the liberal arts to the impoverished. His central claim is that the liberal arts teaches the poor how to succeed in a political—as Thucydides defines it—society. Edmundson and Shorris both write essays on liberal education and contemporary culture; however, both authors come to different conclusions. While Edmundson decides that liberal education has become useless in today’s culture, Shorris documents how a liberal education has changed the lives of sixteen people. Shorris’ essay includes a younger generation that does have passion—this is opposed to Edmundson describing an entire generation as generally passionless.

Read More
919 Words | 4 Pages

How and why is a social group represented in a particular way? In his play The Importance of Being Earnest (1895, London St. James’ theater), Oscar Wilde portrays the attitudes and society of Victorian upper class through character interactions within the ‘Bunburyist’ adventures of Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing. The play’s comedic elements, in addition to the portrayal of power structures, are used as an effective medium to challenge the viewer to reflect upon Wilde’s criticism on institutions and values of the aristocracy. In conjunction to this, deeper analysis can be conducteds about marriage in Victorian aristocracy and their attitudes to members of other social groups.

Read More
987 Words | 4 Pages

Marxist theory aimed to examine capitalism's trends, workers' liberation, and the potential for revolution through class

Read More
920 Words | 4 Pages

A central concept within Marxism, classism, illustrates the

Read More
723 Words | 3 Pages

Marxist Criticism, specifically the Hegelian Dialectic is applicable in Bambara’s short story, “The Lesson”. Social class is predominant at the time “The Lesson” was written and the story focuses on the main character, Sylvia’s perception of her own class, the struggles that it brings and what she is then introduced to by Miss Moore. The Hegelian Dialect can be applied to this story as the transformation ensues within Sylvia upon her enlightenment of the difference in social classes. What appeared to be anger, frustration and resentment within Sylvia, undergoes a conversion into an upheaval curiosity of a newfound “culture”. Does the enlightenment occurring within Sylvia, present a new synthesis of which she uses as a platform for change?

Read More
1261 Words | 6 Pages

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World presents a dystopian society in which social classes are implemented to keep the society going. Huxley alludes to many of the ideas of Karl Marx throughout the novel. The ideologies of Karl Marx are group into one belief; Marxism. Marxism would be defined as the political, economic, and social principles advocated by Marx; especially: a theory and practice of socialism including the labor theory of value, dialectical materialism, the class struggle, and dictatorship of proletariat until the establishment of a classless society (Merriam-Webster 1). In the novel, certain areas of Marxism are alluded to such as; individualism and isolation, social classes and the Conflict Theory, spirituality vs. materialism, and

Read More
754 Words | 4 Pages

When using a Marxist lens the viewer must focus on social classes and how power is distributed throughout these classes, including who holds the power and who is inferior to that power in the society. One question that might come about when viewing the

Read More
1145 Words | 5 Pages

Marxism is defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary as ‘’the political, economic, and social theories of Karl Marx including the belief that the struggle between social classes

Read More
1639 Words | 7 Pages

Marxism is the idea of social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. Social processes are the way individuals and groups interact, adjust and reject and start relationships based on behavior which is modified through social interactions. Overall marxism analyzes how societies progress and how and society ceases to progress, or regress because of their local or regional economy , or global economy. In this case, Marxism’s theory applies to the novel, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, where a society where mass satisfaction is the instrument utilized by places of power known as the Alphas in order to control the oppressed by keeping the Epsilons numb, at the cost of their opportunity to choose their own way of life. Marx thinks that an individual had a specific job to do in order to contribute to their community and that is the only way to do so; There is no escaping your contribution either.

Read More
1143 Words | 5 Pages

Holland Arrowsmith explains Marxism as a term which refers to “a hugely diverse set of social, economic, philosophical, historical and cultural theories”. Several theories such as social, economical, political and critical theories have been derived from Marxism philosophy. Marxism advocates equality amongst the class structure of society. Marxism is divided into two fundamental classes. According to Marx there are only two classes which exist: Bourgeoisie, which means powerful or dominant class and Proletariat, which means the peasant or working classes.

Read More
1205 Words | 5 Pages

According to this ideology, you get out of the system what you put into it, so regardless of class or background if the student works hard they will be successful, equal opportunity for all. Marxism does not believe that true meritocracy occurs within the educational system. (Kennedy and Power, 2010) Bowles and Gintis (1976) argue the notion and existence of meritocracy. As there is inequality in a capitalist society, this is reflected in the educational system. According to Bowles and Gintis (1976) the main factor in determining someone’s success and income is not to their ability but a result of their background and class.

Read More
1486 Words | 6 Pages

Karl Marx (1818-1883) considered himself not to be a sociologist but a political activist. However, many would disagree and in the view of Hughes (1986), he was ‘both – and a philosopher, historian, economist, and a political scientist as well.’ Much of the work of Marx was political and economic but his main focus was on class conflict and how this led to the rise of capitalism. While nowadays, when people hear the word “communism”, they think of the dictatorial rule of Stalin and the horrific stories of life in a communist state such as the Soviet Union, it is important not to accuse Marx of the deeds carried out in his name.

Read More
909 Words | 4 Pages

The sociology of education is the study of how public institutions and individual experiences affect education and its outcomes. It is most concerned with the public schooling systems of modern industrial societies which including the expansion of higher, further, adult, and continuing education. Education has often been seen as a fundamentally optimistic human endeavour characterised by aspirations for progress and betterment. It is understood by many to be a means of overcoming handicaps, achieving greater equality and acquiring wealth and social status. In Malaysia context, Malaysian education system revolves around the National Education Philosophy where it aims to produce a loyal and united Malaysian nation, produce faithful, well-mannered, knowledgeable, competent and prosperous individuals, produces the nation’s human resource for development needs and to provide educational opportunities for all Malaysians.

Read More

More about Assess The Contribution Of Marxism To Our Understanding Of Education

Related Topics

Open Document