ABSTRACT
In this 1978 article, W. G. Warren gives a conceptual analysis of Marxism as it applies to educational theory in the present day. As he writes, Marxists in education tend to launch the most severe critiques of alternative and progressive educational approaches. Yet at the same time, Marxism is conceptualised quite differently around the world (Warren references China, Cuba, and Russia), while Marx (and Engels’) educational statements are scattered throughout texts, and can be distinguished from analytic ‘educational implications’ of their writing. Taking a two-pronged approach Warren then analyses the educational implications of Marx’s writing, first examining statements about education in texts, before considering more broadly their impact in education. In the course, he elucidates inconsistencies in Marx’s view, and closely examines Marxist accounts of alienation, dehumanisation, and related concepts, apart from their general usage in society. Warren concludes his analysis by claiming that a direct Marxist position can only offer limited ‘positive proposals for education’, as it mostly provides a critique of particular formations of education. Given the essence of what he regards as a Marxist approach, Warren argues one does not need to be a Marxist to critique contemporary education, and no particular merit to an expressly Marxist view compared to others, for offering such critiques.
