Althusser: Is education just capitalist ideology?

Name: Althusser: Is education just capitalist ideology?
Start: 2026-03-10T18:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-03-10T20:00:00+00:00
Location: PRSC

Schedule

Tue Mar 10 2026 at 06:30 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

PRSC | Bristol, EN

Althusser was an influential French Marxist thinker whose theories about education are familiar to every undergraduate and A-level sociology student.
Capitalism secures its own reproduction by means of both violence and ideology. The Repressive State Apparatus (police, courts, military) keeps workers in check with physical threats, while the Ideological State Apparatus (schools, religion, media, family, sport) helps to disseminate ruling class ideas as common sense.
Are we just reproducing capitalism in our classrooms? How far can we realistically go in challenging the dominant capitalist ideology? Is Althusser right that education is more dominant even than the media? Shouldn’t PE teachers really be seen as part of the Repressive State Apparatus?
Tickets on Headfirst: https://hdfst.uk/e148709
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- Recommended reading -
"Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses" by Althusser
PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qs4ZhiufiM_tUsOQZEPVRHCbovVNBikB/view?usp=drive_link
Text: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l_k28Zx_BAtRPzrjCfQBCxkOTvi2EZXZ/view?usp=drive_link
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- What to expect -
After a short introductory talk, we will discuss the topic in small groups, with some time to feed back to the whole room.
Most of our events have somewhere between 10-30 attendees.
We aim for every event to be accessible to everyone, regardless of any prior knowledge!
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- About Bristol Transformed -
Bristol Transformed runs an annual festival of politics, arts and culture in April, and events every Tuesday evening throughout the rest of the year. See all our events here: https://hdfst.uk/bristol-transformed
We are a grassroots, volunteer-run, socialist education group. Bringing together activists, trade unionists, and everyone who wants to learn, we’re creating the space to discuss the most important issues facing us, equipping us with the skills and knowledge to transform Bristol and the world.
Bristol Transformed is run by dozens of local people. Without new people coming in every year, we wouldn't be able to maintain the same standard of political education events that you enjoy. If you'd be interested in joining us, sign up as a BT volunteer today and we'll be in touch! https://cloud.seatable.io/dtable/forms/341d6e1a-6723-4078-9481-5427b874f00b/