Marxist Theory of Education

This assignment delves into a Marxist analysis of education. It argues that schools are sites of power struggle, controlled by the capitalist class who use them to transmit their ideology and perpetuate social inequality. The author discusses how advertising manipulates consumer desires within a capitalist system and how teachers, as representatives of this system, play a role in reproducing societal structures. Using examples like wealthy private schools and television commercials, the assignment illustrates these Marxist concepts.

Running head: THEORY OF EDUCATION
THEORY OF EDUCATION
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1THEORY OF EDUCATION
4. I agree with the Marxists who claim that the school is a contested site between
those who have power and those who do not have. In our societal structure, power comes
with money. However, the power also represents the socio-economic condition of a man. The
person, who has better socio-economic condition, avails more power in the societal structure.
According to Marx, school is the capitalist agency that caters organized or institutionalized
education that is the part of the superstructure (Fine, 2016). The school is that institution that
is controlled by the economic base, which is in the hand of the capitalists. However, the
person with higher socio-economic condition controls the school as an establishment and
determines the educational structure. In this societal structure, schools are the means to
convey the ideology and purpose, philosophy and goal, instruction and curriculum. The
power holders in the society, that is those who is in the much better socio-economic
condition, transmits officially approved “knowledge” which is defined as the standards by
them. However, in this context, the schools are the sites of the power holders (Callinicos,
2012).
For example, my school represents an educational structure that would allow students
with well-economic condition. It is a wealthy school and all the students are the
representative of the upper-economic class.
5. I agree with Marxists who claim that the capitalist economic system creates
consumer desires through the manipulation of illusions in marketing. The capitalists who are
the owner of the modes and means of the production dominate capitalist economic system.
The capitalist economic system creates desire in the heart of the consumers who buy the
commodities (Lenski, 2013). Under capitalism, a commodity is that material, which fulfils
the human needs. I agree with the Marxist point of view that the advertising stimulates the
consumer’s desires through the method of manipulation. The advertising and marketing is a
kind of policy that is applied by the capitalist economics to stimulate the consumer’s desire

2THEORY OF EDUCATION
and it leads the consumers to purchase the commodity. Through advertising and marketing a
kind of illusion is created, which is utilized for the method of stimulation in the consumer’s
mind to sell the product. The commercials appeal to the emotional or the sensual part of the
human mind as it creates illusions rather than to the real need (Sharp, 2017). The advertising
promotes the needs other than the basic one and creates illusions, which are the beauty,
sexual attraction and the empowerment of the capitalism, which holds the means of the
product. The system of illusion through marketing and advertising is created for the profit of
the capitalists (Biddle, 2013). For example, a young man, who will buy a motorbike after
watching television commercial, will in turn attract the woman.
6. From Marxists perspective, the role of teachers in class struggle is that they are the
representatives of the capitalism. The school as a capitalist structure maintains and
reproduces the educational institution through which they can ensure their domination. The
teachers are the member of this structure. They provide the education to the little ones. The
teachers transmit false ideology to the working class children (Sarup, 2013). The teachers
transmit knowledge through their teaching, which is the standard according to the capitalist
class. I agree with the Marxist point of view.
I agree with the Marxist point of view because in the capitalist structure, the
educational system is the means to transmit the knowledge of the power holder. The teacher
is the medium to transmit the knowledge. The teacher helps the dominant socio-economic
group to reproduce the member who will carry the massage of the capitalists. The teacher
plays the role of the medium in this societal structure. The teacher helps the power holders to
maintain their dominance in the society, as they are the carrier to transmit particular type of
knowledge, approved from the power holders.

3THEORY OF EDUCATION
References
Biddle, B. J. (2013). Role theory: Expectations, identities, and behaviors. Academic Press.
Callinicos, A. (2012). The revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx. Haymarket Books.
Fine, B. (2016). Marx’s capital. Springer.
Lenski, G. E. (2013). Power and privilege: A theory of social stratification. UNC Press
Books.
Sarup, M. (2013). Marxism and Education (RLE Edu L): A Study of Phenomenological and
Marxist Approaches to Education. Routledge.
Sharp, R. (2017). Knowledge, ideology and the politics of schooling: Towards a Marxist
analysis of education (Vol. 50). Routledge.