Power Dynamics and Class Struggle in the Academic System: A Conflict Theory Perspective

Abstract

This paper examines power dynamics and class struggle in the academic system through the lens of Conflict Theory. Grounded in the works of Karl Marx, Ralf Dahrendorf, and Randall Collins, it explores how educational institutions both reproduce inequality and serve as spaces for transformation. Drawing from recent Philippine and international studies, the paper highlights enduring disparities in educational access, authority distribution, and student outcomes, emphasizing that schools mirror broader social hierarchies. It further investigates how authority, resistance, and symbolic power shape the reproduction of privilege and the potential for reform within academic systems. Contemporary extensions of conflict theory introduce intersectionality, showing how class, gender, and identity intersect to influence educational power relations. Feminist conflict theory critiques the persistence of patriarchal hierarchies that limit women’s agency in leadership.