Description
In this thesis I am broadly concerned with the fundamental aspects of social inequality. Specifically, I focus in the theoretical foundations and the underlying social justification of oppression. To facilitate the analysis of these concerns, I look at the concept ideology, or the Marxist understanding of the broad based social support of social inequality. Ideology is the embodiment of the perspective of the oppressor by the oppressed. I also look at Marxist ontology, which places emphasis on economic relations and therefore tends to emphasize inequality and oppression in the form of classism. The Marxist educator, Paulo Freire, utilizes Marx's conceptualization of being and ideology in order to suggests a way to address social inequality through education. Freire reimagines the education system as something flat and without hierarchy, where students can practice being citizens of an egalitarian society. In this thesis, I examine ideology and Marxist ontology in order to determine their applicability to creating social change. I conclude that Freire's methodology of addressing inequality is very useful, but could be enhanced by emphasizing the social aspect of the Marxist ontology. Marx emphasizes productive relations, however if these relations were expanded to all social relations the Freirian methodology could apply to all forms of social inequality, and not just ones defined in the productive realm. To facilitate the emphasis of this aspect of Marx's ontology, I borrow from modern theorists who develop ontology of the other, or where being comes from interpersonal relations with no specific defining characteristics such as class, gender, or race being more legitimate. As applied to the Freirian methodology, it results in an ontology expressed through egalitarian educational practices that makes any act or belief system that oppresses or subjugates the other illegitimate.
