Marx and Philosophy of Education

In many ways it is easier to write about the application of Marx’s work within education than it is to write about any strictly defined “educational” import of Marx’s own writing. Regarding the former, Marxism has had a dramatic and powerful influence over all aspects of education, not only in the West but across the world. The Soviet Union as was and the Republic of China are two examples of how Marx’s critique of bourgeois economies and social relations were transformed, in different ways, into general programmes of compulsory “State” education which aimed at advancing new forms of social relations and new societies. Also, many poorer parts of the world have used Marxism as an educational tool either to promote revolutionary change or to maintain it.

Of significance in the West has been the Marxism of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire. His book Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1972) continues to be an example of how Marxist revolutionary politics can be worked into educational theory and...