Michael Apple was born in New York City on August 20, 1942. Prior to enrolling at Columbia University, he initially completed his education in the public schools of the city. He obtained his BA in History from Columbia University in 1964 and continued his academic studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning an MA in 1966 and a Ph.D. in 1969. His dissertation, “The Origins of the American Working Class,” was a Marxist analysis of the early years of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Apple began his teaching career in 1969 as a history assistant professor at the University of California-Davis. In 1974, he received an associate professorship, then in 1977, a full professorship. Apple also held visiting appointments at several other universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Stanford University, and others. Apple has been active in many political associations for professionals. He was the University of California-Berkeley of the Association’s first members for Interdisciplinary Studies and served as its president from 1980-1981 (Apple, 2018). He has also participated in organizations such as the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the American Association of University Professors. Apple’s research interests include the history of education, the sociology of education, social theory, and Marxian theory.
Also, Apple is the author or editor of more than 20 books, including The Power of Ideology: The Quest for Technological Autonomy in Education and Work (1989), Ideology and Curriculum (1984), and Education and Power (1982). He is presently writing a book with the working title Marx, Education, and the Struggle for Democracy. The broader concerns of society during Apple’s time were the Vietnam War, Cold War, and Civil Rights Movement. During the Cold War, tensions between the US and the USSR reached their pinnacle. They are superpowers competing for influence worldwide, and the arms race between them led to a series of proxy wars in which each side supported opposing sides in conflicts in other countries (Apple, 2019). With the Soviet Union’s fall in 1991, the Cold War came to an end.
Notably, the Civil Rights Movement was a struggle for equality for African Americans which began in the 1950s with a series of Supreme Court decisions that struck down segregation and peaked in the 1960s with a series of protests, marches, and civil disobedience campaigns. The movement finally passed civil rights laws in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The communist government of North Vietnam and the US-backed government of South Vietnam fought each other in the Vietnam War (Apple, 2020). The US became involved in the war to stop the spread of communism. The battle lasted for over a decade and ended in a victory for North Vietnam.
Apple’s work has significantly concerned the relationship between education and these broader social concerns. In particular, he has argued that education reproduces inequality and that the educational system is an important site of struggle for social change. In The Power of Ideology, Apple claims that the educational system is a site of a battle between different groups vying for power. He contends that the educational system is used to legitimize the existing social inequalities and to reproduce them in future generations.
In Ideology and Curriculum, Apple analyzes how the content of education reflects the interests of those in power. He argues that the curriculum is an instrument of social control and reflects society’s dominant Ideology. In Education and Power, Apple claims that education is a significant source of societal inequality (Apple, 2019). He contends that the educational system is used to reproduce the existing social inequalities and legitimize them. Apple’s work has been influential in the field of education. Several scholars have cited his work, and his ideas have been used in various educational contexts.
Some academics have also critiqued Apple’s efforts accusing him of oversimplifying the relations between education and society and failing to consider the role of individual agency in social change (Apple, 2019). Despite the criticism, Apple’s work remains an essential contribution to the field of education. His work has helped to raise awareness of the role of education in reproducing social inequalities and has inspired many scholars to continue his work in this area.
A turning-point moment in Apple’s life was when he earned his Ph.D. in 1969. This was a significant achievement, as it marked the culmination of his academic career. After this point, Apple began teaching at the University of California-Davis, and he has also held visiting appointments at several other universities. Another turning-point moment in Apple’s life was when he became active in the American Association of University Professors in the early 1970s (Apple, 2020). This was an important professional organization, and Apple’s involvement helped raise his profile as an education scholar.
A recurring theme in Apple’s work is the relationship between education and social inequality. This is a theme that Apple has explored in a number of his books, including The Power of Ideology, Ideology, and Curriculum, and Education and Power. Another recurring theme in Apple’s work is the role of education in reproducing social inequalities. This is a theme that Apple has explored in a number of his books, including The Power of Ideology, Ideology, and Curriculum, and Education and Power. Another recurring theme in Apple’s work is the relationship between education and the economy. This is a theme that Apple has explored in a number of his books, including The Power of Ideology, Ideology, and Curriculum, and Education and Power.
In conclusion, Apple, Michael is an important figure in the field of education. His work has helped raise awareness of education’s role in reproducing social inequalities. He has also been active in various political and professional associations, including the American Historical Association and the American Association of University Professors. His works continue to inspire people in this area even today.
References
Apple, M. W. (2018). Ideology and cultural and economic reproduction. In Ideology and curriculum (pp. 26–44). Routledge.
Apple, M. W. (2019). Critical education, critical theory, and the critical scholar/activist.
Apple, M. W. (2020). Culture, Identity, and Power.
Riddle, S., & Apple, M. W. (Eds.). (2019). Re-imagining education for democracy (p. 1). Abingdon, Oxon and New York, NY: Routledge.
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