marxist role of education

what are Althusser’s 2 apparatuses and examples of each

repressive state apparatus (RSA) - e.g. police and army

ideological state apparatus (ISA) - e.g. media and education

what is the role of RSA

to help maintain the role of the bourgeoisie by force - if needed they will use physical coercion to repress the wc

what is the role of the ISA

to help maintain the role of the bourgeoisie by controlling the ideas of the wc

how does ISA apply to education

education controls the ideas of people from a young age to not question the system or authority - false class consciousness develops

in what 2 ways is education an ISA and their explanations

reproduction - the next generation of workers is reproduced through failing students from wc backgrounds

legitimation - making lies appear as the truth which causes people to blame failure on the individual rather than the system (e.g. meritocracy)

what are Bowles and Gintis’ 2 functions of education

correspondence principle

myth of meritocracy

what is the correspondence principle

the idea that school prepares students for work and mirrors the workplace - done through the hidden curriculum

what is the myth of meritocracy

the idea that success is down to own efforts is wrong and really it’s down to your social class - the idea of meritocracy serves to justify higher class privileges and make the wc accept inequalities/capitalism

how do Bowles and Gintis link to role allocation

they also believe that education is there to allocate roles but argue that the best roles go to the most obedient students (schools reward obedience)

how does Paul Willis’ ideas contrast with Althusser and Bowles and Gintis

he argues that students aren’t like ‘passive puppets’ but instead are aware of their exploitation

what was Willis’ ‘learning to labour’ study (1977)

he studied ‘the lads’ which were a anti-school subculture of wc boys (their behaviour was anti-conformist to school beliefs/rules) - he studied their beliefs towards school and work

what conclusions were made from the study

the ‘lads’ weren’t socialised into work but were rather waiting to leave school and enter manual labour jobs (gave higher status to these because of the immediate rewards)

shows how education fails as an agent of socialisation as certain groups will favour immediate gratification over hard work and social mobility