Issue XI: pp.6-9: Education as a Carrier of Ideology

VOX - The Student Journal of Politics, Economics and Philosophy

Education as a Carrier of Ideology

By Adam Czopp To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks.

A. A. Milne

M

ilne’s quote contains some fundamental TRUTH – WHAT

we perceive is only an interpretation of reality, the interpretation we were all taught in the process of a multi-layered education. When one thinks of education, things like lifting people out of poverty, better job prospects technology improving our everyday lives, and countless other benefits instantly spring to mind. I will try to highlight what is, for many, an unknown aspect of education: that it serves as a car

rier of the prevailing ideology, defined as a broad category of social beliefs and desires, in the context of a given historical period (Harcourt, Edward et al, 2001). I have outlined, according to my opinion, the three main functions by which education realises itself as the carrier of ideology: it is a means to sustain and reproduce the conditions necessary for continuity of ideology, to protect from counter-ideological elements and to enable the transmission of ideology.

Issue XI - Spring 2010

Intergenerational Sustainability Sustainability of the state’s ideology requires a reproduction of the labour force, subordinated to the rules of the system, and possessing the required qualifications (Althussere, 1976). Humans, from the very moment of conception, become subjects of social categories and the projects of others, e.g. name, nationality, gender, and race.

They enter the world, not as tabula rasa, but as objects of the pre-paved cultural world, being prescribed certain attributes and expectations, crucial to operate within the existing social order.

As Althussere claims, individuals do not make the world they live in, they are born into it and from birth they reproduce the patterns of long-existing thoughts and customs (cited in Mannheim, 1936). At an early stage of human life, education is realised within the family, with the main aim being to learn codes, language, signs and desirable behaviours. This is where the submission to the rules starts and is further developed by educational institutions, where the reproduction of qualifications accompanies it. Since this reproduction takes place from generation to generation in a spirit of solidarity of attitudes and beliefs, deeply entrenched from childhood, the ideological state apparatus can be sustained.

In a capitalist state ideology development is being realised by technological progress. A basic assumption of modern economics, taught to prob-

ably every social science student, is that when needs are endless, education is the guarantee of continuous progress.

Education makes production more efficient, as higher order needs are satisfied in a shorter time. The backbone of this progress is educational institutions that equip students with skills tailored to current market needs in the spirit of Smith’s concept of benefits of specialisation. Knowledge becomes merely a means to achieve ideology’s objectives, and subjects are treated instrumentally – a philosophy which ancient Greeks considered as a worthy end itself (their “love of wisdom”), in modern times usually plays an instrumental role to develop “marketable skills” (e.g. soughtafter analytical thinking) to benefit an individual’s future career. Educational establishments now resemble firms selling products (skills) rather than the fertile grounds for thriving ideas that they used to be.

World War II provides a very vivid illustration of the importance of education in the sustainment of an ideological state apparatus. Communists strived to completely eradicate intelligence on occupied territories and destroy educational establishments. They introduced programs of intensified russification, censorship and forbade lectures in the languages of conquered countries. The objective of these actions was to discontinue the reproduction of unwanted ideology, and once that was achieved, replace it with the communist ideology. Soviets

VOX - The Student Journal of Politics, Economics and Philosophy

were aware that education serves as a matrix for the production of adherents to ideology, and the best way to conquer an enemy is to convert him to your side – the whole Communist Block, spreading over 22 mln km2 of land inhabited by 290 mln people, was based on this idea.

Defence Against Counter Elements The educational carrier of ideology has superseded violence and repression so prevalent in the old ideological systems.

In place of physical repression came symbolic violence, which is the act of instruction, which dictates the desired cultural scheme to students (Rothstein, 1991). Obedience to instructions is internalized by students and thus there is little or no rebellion against the imposed ideology in comparison to the old systems of physical repression. Rothstein (1991, vii) writes: “ … the schools that capitalism establishes have a primary interest: the development of an ideology and culture that make it natural for students to accept proletarianization.” Lack of education in the prevailing ideology is punished by a whole spectrum of social repressions, from mockery to exclusion from the community. Education teaches that one has to play according to the rules to get respect and cooperation, which are indispensable for survival.

Education has also proved to be the best defence against counterideologies. In Medieval history, the

Christian Church defended its ideological apparatus by preventing access to any alternative world views - the index of forbidden books is an example of such a practice. Those who were preaching anything incompatible with the Church’s teachings were proclaimed heretics and burned on pyres.

The capitalist ideology learned from these mistakes and adopted education as a means to integrate any counter-elements into the ideology itself. The elements that, at first glance, may pose a risk to the system, such as spiritualism, metaphysics or alternative ways of life, are no longer contradictory to the prevailing ideology, and as Marcuse (1964) puts it: “They are rather the ceremonial part of practical behaviourism, its harmless negation, and are quickly digested by the status quo as part of its healthy diet.” Education about those seemingly dangerous elements has managed to internalize them, and since all of those ‘contradictions’ are within the ideology, they do not pose any risk and are rather treated like exotic curiosities.

Transmission of Ideology History shows that adherents to any ideology tried to spread it over as many people as possible. Education seemed to be a natural choice, as extermination is not the means to reproduce necessary elements for the continuity of ideology: extermination erases adherents to old beliefs, and at the same time, eliminates the potential transmitters

Issue XI - Spring 2010

of new beliefs.

In the past, there was the example of the USSR, trying to paint the world map red, spreading its ideology to every country to make it permanent and ubiquitous, and thus the most powerful. In the modern world, capitalist ideology is sprawling everywhere. China, being educated about the importance of economic success, gradually shakes off the artefacts of the old system and turns towards liberalism and market economy. Our education also entered Ethiopia, reducing mortality, increasing life expectancy, and stimulating GDP growth, which in 2008 was an impressive 11.6% (CIA, 2009).

The price of these achievements is adopting capitalist ideology and abandonment of the traditional style of living and values associated with it. In the past Romans referred to countries with different ideology as ‘barbarians’, as the wild and uneducated in the wonders and virtues of (according to the Roman Empire) the supreme ideology. In the modern world, countries that did not adapt capitalist ideology and retained their traditional ideology (often based on the nomadic style of living of our ancestors) were until recently called ‘The Third World’.

Conclusion Being aware of the past abuses of education for often harmful ideological purposes, one might be tempted to question the need for education altogether. However, education is in-

dispensable: transfer of skills from generation to generation enabled small hunter-gatherer communities to survive and evolve. Animals teach their offspring basic skills such as food gathering or recognising predators to ensure the continuity of the species.

Education is undoubtedly at the core of survival for living beings. Rothstein (1991:1) said: “… To think of schools as centres of instruction and rationalism is to ignore their ideological basis. Educational systems cannot exist in a vacuum …” This underlines the importance of the influence that ideology has on education and the fact that education itself is nothing but a carrier. The content of this carrier is what really matters, and what makes education a blessing or a curse.

Bibliography: Althussere, L. (1969) “Ideologies and Ideological State Apparatuses”. Positions, Editions sociales.

Harcourt, Edward et al (2000) ‘Morality, Reflection, and Ideology’. Oxford University Press Marcuse, H. (1964) “One-dimensional Man”.

T.J. Press Rothstein, S.W. (1991) “Identity and Ideology: Sociocultural Theories of Schooling”. Greenwood Publishing Group Inc. The World Factbook (2009), CIA ( https:// www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook, accessed 14/12/2009 )

_____________________________ Adam Czopp is a second year undergraduate reading Economics and Philosophy at the University of York.