Month: April 2020

My perspective on the ‘sociological theory of education’ is based on the structural functionalism theory of Emile Durkheim (Bessant &Watts 2007, p. 41). I agree with Durkheim’s view that the underlying role of education as one of socializing people into mainstream society (Theories of Education, 2020).

In the perspective of structural functionalism, the society is like a human body and institutional structures of the community such as schools, churches and family behaves like body parts such as the kidney, lungs, and eyes. Each element has its function, and if any part is malfunctioning the whole body/ society structure will be threatened ( Bessant & Watts, 2007, p. 41).

Formal and informal education is a significant part of society. This “moral education,” as Durkheim called it, has helped bring together people from diverse backgrounds to form a more cohesive social structure (Theories of Education, 2020).

I do not agree with my chosen theorist Antonio Gramsci’s view that the education system is being used as a tool in the capitalist society to maintain the status quo.  I support the belief that preserving the balanced, cohesive society is in the best interest of all beings. My own experience refugee students who were disadvantaged and let down in the society due to lack of support. With the correct support system to develop skills and job training of those disadvantaged people may find an employment and become valuable members and supporting the coherence of society.

I do agree with Antonio’s view that informal education plays an essential part in one’s self-awareness and cultural awareness and is crucial to the intellectual part of everyone’s life (Burke,1999-2005). In my cultural background, informal training is highly valued and has helped me to shape social values, such as respecting elders which is an integral part of my life.

As an educator, I work with devised cohorts of students including matured refugee students which allowed me to understand the role of education within the principles of structural functionalism. The learners learn for better future and aspiration.

Refugee students struggle due to low English skills, dealing with past traumatic experiences, social and cultural norms such as Arabic women needing to stay at home. As a trainer, by providing and support, and encouragement, I have seen refugee students perform very well and with the new skills they gain at TAFE, become very productive members of the society and support the cohesive social structure.

It’s a privilege to be a part of their educational journey, and I share my knowledge and skills to improve the            livelihoods of these students and to see them as a part of the cohesive social structure makes me extremely happy.

References

 

Bessant, J., & Watts, R. (2002). Sociology Australia. (2ND ed.). Crow’s Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 2007.

Burke, B. (1999, 2005) ‘Antonio Gramsci, schooling and education’, The encyclopaedia of pedagogy and informal education,http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-gram.htm.

Theories of Education. (2020). Retrieved from cliffsnotes.com: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study- guides/sociology/education/theories-of-education

 

 

 

Figure 1: Photograph of Antonio Gramsci (infed.org, (2012).

“The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum, a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.” (Antonio Gramsci quotes, n.d.)

 

Antonio,s Early  life

Born in 1891 Sardinia, Italy Antonio Gramsci was the fourth son of a clerk in the registrar’s office. But his father was sent to prison for five years, and Antonio’s upbringing became very hard due to poverty in the family. As a child, Antonio was regularly ill, and his anguish was multiplied by the physical deformity. Though his early education was disturbed due to ill health and poverty, after his father was released from prison, he resumed his education. He won a scholarship to the University of Turin (Gramsci, n.d).

Young Antonio Gramsci

Young Antonio joined the Italian Socialist Party in 1913. Gramsci did not complete his university education, but was trained under Antonio Lebriola at the University as a Hegelian Marxist, and studied the interpretation of Karl Marx’s theory intensively as a “philosophy of praxis” (Cole, 2019).

Travelling to Vienna in 1923 and meeting Georg Lukács, a prominent Hungarian Marxist thinker, and other Marxist and communist intellectuals and activists shaped his intellectual work.  By 1926, he became the head of the Italian Communist Party (Cole, 2019).

                            Figure 2:  Construction: Day 37. Lopez, (2013).

Theory of Cultural Hegemony- 

Gramsci is most renowned for his theory of Cultural Hegemony; His theory describes how the state and ruling capitalist class uses cultural institutions to maintain power in capitalist societies. The capitalist society, in Gramsci’s view, develops a dominion culture using ideology rather than violence, economic force, or pressure. Hegemonic or dominant culture propagates its values and norms so that they become the “ruling” values of all and thus maintain the status quo of the capitalist society undermining the other cultures which are dominant in community. This dominant power is therefore used to secure consent to the capitalist order, rather than forced control using force to maintain order. (Antonio Gramsci, n.d)

                 Figure 3: Gramsci and Hegemony Birdsquidtoo , (2019).

 Antonio’s view on Education-

Gramsci views that the educational institution as one of the fundamental elements of cultural hegemony in modern Western society (Cole, 2019). According to Gramsci, the school system was just one part of the system of ideological hegemony in which individuals were socialized into maintaining the status quo. It helped to keep the dominance of the capitalist power base. He believed that the school must relate to everyday life and to achieve educational success, the active participation of the students is paramount. His viewed informal educators as playing an essential part in one’s self –awareness, social awareness and crucial to the intellectual part of everyone’s life. (Burke, 1999, 2005).

 

Figure 4 Children’s class. Lopez, (2013).

References:

Antonio Gramsci. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.gpedia.co/en/gpedia/Antonio Gramsci

Antonio Gramsci. (n.d.). In Your Dictionary. Retrieved from        https://biography.yourdictionary.com/antonio-   Gramsci

Antonio Gramsci quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.goodreads.com: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2438.Antonio_Gramsci

Antonio Gramsci. (2012) Retrieved from    https://infed.org/mobi/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/gramsci_pd.jpg

Birdsquidtoo,(2019).  Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/socialism/comments/9w5s6l/gramsci_and_cultural_hegemony/

Burke, B. (1999, 2005) ‘Antonio Gramsci, schooling and education’, the encyclopedia of pedagogy and informal education Retrieved from, http://www.infed.org/thinkrs/et-gram.htm

Cole, N, (2020). Biography of Antonio Gramsci. Retrieved from http://www.throughtco./antoniao-gramsci-3026471

Lopez,(2013) Construction day, Retrieved from  https://www.dailyserving.com/2013/08/hashtags-on-the-political-in-art/

Lopez, R (2013) Children’s Class, Retrieved fromhttps://www.dailyserving.com/2013/08/hashtags-on-the-political-in-art/