Ideology and Agency in the Process of Schooling*

The concept of ideology is interrogated as the necessary basis for a more fully developed theory of emancipatory pedagogy. It is argued that within the Marxist tradition ideology has largely been defined in terms of domination and that a more dynamic concept of ideology must be developed that includes the notions of agency, struggle, and critique. It is argued that ideology must be viewed as dialectical, including consciousness, meaning, and material practices, and in particular including the categories of struggle and power. The three areas of the unconscious, common sense, and critical consciousness are analyzed in terms of their ideological functions and possibilities. Classroom material practices are then examined to illuminate the ways in which meaning is constructed and made material in texts and social relationships. These texts and social practices are examined in turn through the concepts of reproduction, production and reconstruction.