Outline the Contribution of Marxism to Our Society Essay

OUTLINE THE CONTRIBUTION OF MARXISM TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIETY Marxism is an ideology based on the economic and political theories of Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels. Karl Marx who was born in Germany in 1818 was a revolutionary whose ideas on society were the foundation of communism. Under modern capitalism the means of production, such as factories, land, and technology are controlled by a small minority who Marx called the bourgeoisie. Production is carried out by the working class, known as the proletarians who have to sell their labour or face poverty or starvation. Taken together these two classes form the economic base of society, what Marx called the substructure. Marx saw that there was conflict between these two divisions†¦show more content†¦American sociologists, (Bowles et al 1976) maintain there is a close â€Å"correspondence† between the social relationships which govern school and work. This ‘correspondence principle’ link work and education with its system of hierarchies and rules which prepare peop le for a subservient role in the workplace, by exploiting them as servants of a capitalist system, and continuing to perpetuate class stratification. (Giddens, A. 1997) â€Å"The education system disguises this with its myth of meritocracy† (Haralambos et al p 604) Cultural deprivation theorists suggest middle class children have advantage over WC, in that at an early age they are socialised and exposed to books, music and technology known as cultural capital. According to (Bordieu et al 1977) education is biased in favour of the culture of the dominant social class and WC culture is devalued. In an attempt to test Bordieus theory (Sullivan, 2001) carried out a social survey on pupils approaching school leaving age in 1998 and found â€Å"that pupils cultural capital was strongly correlated with parents cultural capital...which in turn was closely linked to their social class† She also found significant differences in exam results between WC and MC children even when the effects of cultural capital had been taken into account which tended to support in part Bourdieus theory. (Haralambas cites Keddie, N. 1973) who argues that culture deprivation is a myth. ItShow MoreRelatedThe Sociological Perceptions Of Health And Illness1552 Words   |  7 Pagesand to outline the sociological perceptions of health and illness. This essay also discusses about the various patterns of health inequality within society, and to evaluate the different perspective and views of health within our society. It will also provide a brief analysis of two different starts to the study of health and illness. 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