Education as an Ideological State Apparatus and Path to Liberation: Analyzing Freire’s “Banking Concept” and Westover’s Educated

Abstract

This paper explores education as both an ideological State Apparatus (ISA) and a potential tool for liberation through the analysis of Paulo Freire’s “The Banking Concept of Education” and Tara Westover’s memoir Educated. Drawing from Louis Althusser's ISA theory, the study examines how schools, as institutions, perpetuate dominant ideologies that benefit the ruling class. Freire’s banking education model is critiqued for promoting passive learning, stifling critical thinking, and reinforcing oppressive societal structures. Conversely, Freire’s problem-posing pedagogy is proposed as a transformative model that encourages active engagement and liberation. The paper argues that education, while traditionally serving the interests of the ruling class by reproducing capitalist structures, has the potential to be reformed into a liberating force that fosters critical consciousness and resistance to oppression. By comparing Althusser's theory with Freire’s pedagogical model, this study highlights the dual role of education in both sustaining and challenging ideological domination. The analysis of Westover's Educated further illustrates the personal struggle for intellectual freedom within an oppressive educational framework, offering insights into the complexities of education as a form of social control and a means of individual liberation.