Marx and Education

There is one Karl Marx, and a multitude of Marxisms. Basic ideas expressed by Marx ' for example, that capitalism is inherently contradictory and prone to crisis, that social class is central to personal exploitation and oppression, and that the industrial working class is key to revolutionary change ' have been ignored or reworked by others calling themselves Marxists in ways that not only contradict each other, but contradict what Marx actually said.In this pithy, accessible book, internationally renowned scholar Jean Anyon centers on the ideas of Marx that have been taken up in education studies as a guide to analysis, research, and practice. Beginning with a brief overview of Marxist ideas and terms, Anyon then moves to ways educational scholarship in a Marxian vein has typically flowed from three basic concepts: class as an explanatory social and educational variable; capitalism as a primary source of systemic social, economic, and educational inequality; and ideology critique as a model for alternative educational analysis and critical classroom pedagogy. The book concludes with a look toward current teaching and writing that attempts to exemplify what is relevant in Marx, and replace that which has been outdone by historical events. Drawing from examples of her own recent work with students, Anyon further provides concrete examples of how Marxist ideas and a redefined Critical Social Theory can transform empirical research.

Jean Anyon is Professor of Social and Educational Policy in the Urban Education Doctoral Program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.