sociology theory and methods - marxism.

AQA

What are the core beliefs of marxism?

They are a conflict theory (conflict between bourgeoisie and the proletariat) that believes capitalism leads to the core inequalities in society .

Believes all institutions maintain capitalism.

Modernist theory that believes in researching society in a scientific way.

Solution is a revolution and the introduction of communism.

How do families, education, crime and media maintain capitalism?

• Family - Maintain and legitimise capitalism through ideological control.

• Education - Maintains inequalities and reproduces capitalism through the myth of meritocracy, and correspondence principle)

• Crime - The law protects ruling class interests and punishes the working class more then the ruling class.

• Media - spreads ruling class ideology and makes capitalism seem legit.

How does private ownership affect social class?

• Marx argued work/labour is the sole source of wealth.

• In early society where society only produced what it needed everyone had to work to survive.

• However as we began to produce more then what was needed for survival it became possible for some people not to work and survive off the work of others.

  • As members of society begin to privately own means of production society divides into two, those who own and those who don’t. (bourgeoisie and the proletariat.)

How does exploitation work through surplus value?

• In capitalist society workers produce more then is needed to pay their wages.

• This is surplus value - the extra value the workers add to products goes to owners making them a bigger profit.

• e.g in burger shop only half of the burgers made may be enough to cover the workers wage, while the rest of the profit goes to owners.

• Therefore workers do not receive the full value of their work so are being exploited.

• The proletariat do not own means of production on their own so they have no other ways of surviving in capitalist society other then selling their labour.

• The bourgeoisie make their profit by keeping the wages of the proletariat low and not paying them for the full amount of work that they do.

How do marxists analyse society?

• Marxists see the economy as the driving force in society, and that it shapes the nature of institutions and peoples values/beliefs.

• This is economic determinism

What is the base of society?

• Marx said the economic base of society determined everything else in society.

• This included the means of production (land, factories, raw materials)

• As well as the relations of production (relations between owners and workers)

What is the superstructure of society?

• Societies institutions such as the family and media.

• Marx saw these institutions as being shaped and influenced by capitalism.

• The role of these institutions is to maintain capitalism and make it seem legitimate.

What are two ways that capitalist infrastructure is maintained?

1. Through socialisation the institutions pass down capitalist norms and values (controls minds)

2. Through physical controls and control of peoples bodies for example.

How do institutions act as a form of ideological control?

• Institutions justify inequalities as fair and normal, creating a false class conscience where we do not understand how exploited we are.

• For example, in education correspondence principle, Bowles and Gintis, suggested education mirrors the workplace, such as through the mirroring of hierarchy, rewards and punishments, and the hidden curriculum.

• In families capitalism is often passed down through things such as paying children for their work and rewarding obedience, which reinforces capitalist values and behaviours.

What happens if the means of mental production fail?

• Marx - armed bodies of men, such as the police or military, are used to maintain control over the populace and suppress dissent. This ensures the stability of the ruling class's power and the continuation of capitalist structures.

• Althusser - repressive state apparatus, reinforce power

What did Althusser argue the three different levels of capitalist society were?

• Internal critique, structural neo-marxism, three levels not two (base and superstructure)

  1. Economic level, the economy and means of production.

  2. Political level - the government and organisations involved in the control of society, including repressive state apparatus that physically keep the population in line.

  3. Ideological level - concerned with beliefs and values, All ISA’s that spread dominant ideology to justify inequalities.

The economy remains the most important level however all three levels maintain and justify the power of the ruling class.

How does Althusser argue each level of society can influence each other?

• Political and ideologucal levels can affect society independently from the economic level. For example, politics can influence the economy such as through brexit.

• Each level has some independence from the capitalist economic base which makes this different from traditional Marxism, which emphasises a direct relationship where the economy predominantly shapes the political and ideological spheres.

What did Gramsci believe?

• Humanist neo-marxism.

• Believed that transmission of dominant ideology was more powerful then the economic base of society.

• Believed the proletariat needed to challenge these ideologies by producing and transmitting new ones. (counter hegemony) and create a new power bloc.

Why did Gramsci believe revolution hadn’t taken place?

• Hegemony - argued revolution hadn’t taken place in Western Europe because of hegemony, consent given by the masses to the type of society imposed upon them by dominant groups.

• Argued capitalism doesn’t depend solely on force but also involved the active consent of the population through ideas in society. The ruling class have to win support from members of society.

• Argued the way to do this was to give the masses concessions to improve their conditions, allowing them to feel included and invested in the system, thus making them less likely to revolt.

What did Gramsci argue was needed for a social change?

• Argued marxist struggle must also include a cultural struggle and an ideological struggle, meaning the proletariat must challenge dominant ideologies and create counter-hegemonic narratives to bring about social change.

• Argued workers are capable of challenging the ruling class by creating a counter-hegemony that contests and replaces the dominant ideology, enabling a transformation in societal values and power dynamics. This would be lead by organic intellectuals who lead the revolution.

How does Gramsci’s ideas link to education?

• Paul Willis - learning to labour.

• The 12 working class boys saw through the hegemony of the school and created their own counter hegemony, their counter school culture. They saw through the meritocratic ideology, believed they were destined for working class jobs, and therefore rejected the schools rules.

• This displays Gramscis ideas about free will and the ability groups have to create a counter-hegemony.

How could communism become inevitable?

• Means of production will become heavily concentrated in the hands of the few. The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.

• This will create a class polarisation.

• The inequality divide will become so wide and human suffering will grow so large we will be forced to become aware of our exploitation and have a revolution.

What are some criticisms of marxism?

• Marx said a revolution was inevitable but so many years later one has still not occurred, therefore he may be too economically deterministic and capitalism may not be as powerful as he suggests.

• Over exageration of the conflicts in society, functionalists believe society is mainly peaceful and functional.

• Ideas of two classes (bourgeoisie and proletariat) may be too simplistic, there is a growing middle class who will be impacted differently.)

• Ignores the role of free will and sees people as brainwashed.