Marxism
key terminology:
dialectical = concerned with or acting through opposing forces.
historical materialism = Marx’s theory that history and social change is driven by economical and material factors rather than by ideas or politics
primitive communism = a theoretical stage of societal development describing hunter-gatherer and early horticultural society - characterised by collective ownership of resources, communal living, absence of social hierarchy and decision making through collective consensus
surplus value = the difference between the value that workers create through their labour and the wages that they are paid.
intrinsic satisfaction = the deep sense of pleasure, contentment or fulfilment that comes from the activity itself rather than from external rewards
false consciousness = a way of thinking that prevents a person from perceiving the true nature of their social or economic situation.
dual consciousness = the idea that the working class can see they’re exploited but can also see there are benefits to the capitalist system.
Hegemony = the implementation of ideology through leadership/dominance.
organic intellectual = a member of a specific social class who rise from that class to develop and promote its unique ideology and interests.
Fordism = the industrial system named after Henry Ford - assembly lines
globalisation = interconnectedness across national borders and the compression of time and space
intellectual property = assets created by the mind such as inventions
Humanistic Marxism = The belief in people’s agency or human ability to challenge and change society
repressive state apparatus (RSA) = made up of the police, military, courts and prison system to physically control
ideological state apparatuses (ISAs) = made up of the media, education and religion (and others) to ideologically control the minds of the population
alienation = loss of control over our labour/products
economic determinism = the view that economic factors are the fundamental cause of everything in society including social change.
Things that perpetuate the Capitalist system:
Education - it is designed to prepare people for work by teaching them to be obedient and accept authority
Legal system - wealthy individuals can afford top lawyers + the police ignores crimes committed by wealthy groups whilst targeting the poor
Religion - teaches the poor to be good so that they will be rewarded in the afterlife + this stops people rebelling against the system which benefits the business owners
Criticisms of Marxist theory:
the workers revolution that Marx predicted has not happened
working conditions have improved
people aren’t brainwashed as we have the free will to choose what we believe
Neo Marxism: Any sociological theory which draws on ideas of Karl Marx but amends or extends these.
Key Neo-Marxist theories:
Antonio Gramsci: Hegemony
Hegemony = the implementation of ideology through leadership/dominance. (How capitalism is maintained)
Leaders set up society to persuade the subordinate class that the way it works is ‘common sense’ and to consent to their exploitation (cultural domination)
Possibility of ruling class hegemony being undermined:
ruling class are the minority
Proletariat have a ‘dual consciousness’
‘counter-hegemony’
‘organic intellectuals’ - must come from the oppressed group (from working class background)
there are very few organic intellectuals as the ruling class control the education system which works against the working class - there are not enough properly educated members of the working class
Louis Althusser:
RSA and ISA which keep capitalism going
communism is a totalitarianism version of socialism.
Base and superstructure:
Base:
Definition: The economic foundation of society consisting of the forces of production (technology, raw materials, labour) and the relations of production (class structures and economic relationships)
Function: The primary engine which shapes how a society creates and distributes necessities. It is the dominant and fundamental aspect of society, influencing all elements of the superstructure.
Superstructure:
Definition: The non-economic parts of society which are influenced by the base such as politics, law, religion and culture.
Function: Reinforces the economic system (base) and can also influence the base however the base is the dominant influence.
The ruling class owns the means of mental production (production of ideas) → Religion education and media all sere the ruling class → the working class develop a class consciences as they see the material wealth differences through media → but still restricted as it dual consciousness.
As human’s true nature is creativity of things, capitalism strips people of their humanity.