Assignment two
Explore the meaning(s) of 'education' by applying the concepts of 'civilising process' and 'socialisation'. Use relevant theories and theorists to strengthen your arguments.
This assignment has many angels, but this essay will be based on two theories that can help to describe the civilising process and socialisation in the system of education. Furthermore will the assignment contain some relevant sociological terms.
Societal human production
There is today no doubt about that education and learning are important social resources and vital to the structure of society and development to make a symbolic capital, Pierre Bourdieu would say that the symbolic capital is about acknowledgement for one another (Bourdieu 1992). Institutional ‘training’ is the setting for a very large part of the lives of individuals in todays society and access to education is seen as a basic human right. In parts of the world where this is not the case, seen expanded access to education as perhaps the most important key to development (Unesco: 2002). At the same time, however, it also found that there is a much greater awareness of the importance of informal learning processes and skills that can be done outside of the educationsystem and in the formal education can sometimes be seen as anti-scholastic tendency to approach to the ‘real life’ outside the educationsystem. At the societal level talks now not (only) about education, but about a lifelong learning as a necessary feature that goes far beyond formal education, therefore we see that the individual learn less about the cultural capital. Cultural capital is primary something you learn form home, it could be general culture, language and learning which norms that apply etc (Bourdieu 1992). What we now understand as education is in fact a historical institutionalization of basic social functions and relationships. This institutionalization is a product of the general development of the modern society where traditional, self-sufficient and closed communities over a few hundred years absorbed in the larger society, characterized by strong division of labor, complexity and dynamics. The capitalist economy is the engine of this development, but it includes all social and cultural conditions (Bourdieu 1992). Empowerment of institutions of education and training is one of the special features of this development can be described as socialization of the individual and of the human skills and knowledge. The human labor is a tradable goods, and individuals released (relatively) of material and cultural ties. Traditional social relationships and patterns of behavior are replaced by knowledge-based practice and will be subject to permanent reflection. Therefore can you say that the educationsystem is a secondary socialization, that means that the socialization occurs through a mixture of primary and secondary socialization. Which means that the cultural/social capital is something that is not only someting you get from your family, but are someting you learn in interaction with others (Bourdieu 1992). This is not necessarily problematic because the secondary socialization makes the children more prepared and socialized into the modern society.
“Expert systems are disembedding mechanisms because, in common with symbolic tokens, they remove social relations from the immediacies of context.” (Giddens 1991: 28).
To go from something in generally to a theory, can this quote be a good start. As far you can read, Anthony Giddens wasn't that happy about the modernity progress. Giddens have a theory about disembedding of social reaction, where he talks about the care of children and the elderly and other social functions are no longer in primary socialization, but instead in the systems. Furthermore is his theory very critical (Giddens 1991: cap. 1).
Giddens also talks about the social systems disembedding in abstract systems. The abstract systems can be different characteristics, but common to them is that citizens of the modern society is forced to have confidence in such abstract systems. An example of how disembedding of social systems to abstract systems takes place is childcare. Compared with previously it is normal in big parts of the Western world that both parents are working (Giddens 1991: cap. 1). This means that parents and children are totally dependent on that there are experts who can take over while the parents are at work. Today, the people, small children watch most in the course of an ordinary day so educators who are experts in child care. Parents are therefore dependent on that the teachers are doing their job properly, and that the relevant authorities are watching kindergarten compared to, for example, food safety, safety of playgrounds and appropriate design of transport routes to and from the institution (Giddens 1991: cap. 1). With other words, he argues that the socialization and the civilprocess is no longer two different tings, because we are socialized into the system from childhood makes the general socialization and civilization more equal and similar.
To see further into this theory he talks also about the addiction to designates symbolic. Symbolic signs can therefore be part of disembedding of social systems to abstract systems. The best example of a symbolic character is money. The presence of money means that you no longer need to meet and exchange fruit with meat to make a trade – you can buy both via online shopping (Giddens 1991: cap. 1). Other examples of abstract systems are, for example: traffic control of the airspace signals at traffic lights and rail networks, control of eg medicine and safety systems in cars. The abstract systems can thus according to Giddens be indispensable in a postmodern society where globalization and technological advances mean that we become more and more dependent on abstract systems' ability to function. With the abstract systems we are forced to relate to the outside world in a different way (Giddens 1991: cap. 1).
We can't no longer assess shampoo alone on the wash your hair well, but we have to deal with the harmful substances it may contain and whether we want to expose ourselves to efficacy of these substances and the experts are in control of these substances not harmful for the fact that they possibly should be in such a product. We are forced, in other words to be much more reflective.
A key argument when we are talking about the educationsystem is that a large part of the population have an education degree which go far beyond what society really needs. The consequences to take to the touch, both for the individual and for society. The education – boom has led to an educational inflation, which for the individual means that the expectations for a long education leads to a premium content commendable jobs and must be revised downwards. For the society, it means that more and more money thrown into the accelerating training distance. Seen from the individual's point of view the fact that still the most strategic decision to educate themselves as much as possible in order to become the best in the competition in the labor market.
Therefore, after my opinion in todays society you cant really see a different on the civilization process and the socialization, because it is all about the system and reproduction of people be learn and know the same things. Todays society have no self-determination.