Ideology+and+the+Ideological+State+Apparatuses,+Doubts+and+Reservations

(Source: Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings. Edited by Charles Lemert. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Westview Press, 2010) Summary by Namalie
 * Louis Althusser: Ideology and the Ideological State Apparatuses **

· When talking about the state, there is the repressive state apparatus (RSA) and the ideological state apparatus (ISA). The RSA is in the public domain and it functions through violence, meaning it can force you to follow its laws. Some examples of the RSA are the government, the police and the army. · The ISA is in the private domain and functions through ideology. Some examples are the family ISA, the religious ISA (system of different churches) and the educational ISA (schools). While there is only one RSA, there are many ISA. ** Ideology is a “Representation of the Imaginary Relationship ** · Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence o Althusser calls the different forms of ideology “world outlooks” and notes that these “world outlooks” are largely imaginary and constitute an illusion. These “world outlooks” make allusions to reality and it is by interpreting such allusions that we can see the reality of the world behind their representations. So what does this mean? It means that in terms of creating an ideology, we do not represent the real world to ourselves, what we do represent is our //relation// to the real world and this relation has an imaginary nature. o Althusser and Marx: relating the above point to Marx, Althusser then believes that ideology represents the (imaginary) relationship of people to the relations of productions, and not to the existing relations of production. In other words, what ideology does is to present people with representations of their relations to relations of production, rather than with representations of the relations of production themselves. · Ideology has a material existence ** Ideology Interpellates Individuals as Subjects ** · Althusser says that “there is no ideology except by the subjects and for subjects” (323). You and I are always subjects and are always recognized as such. Althusser then proves his point by the process of hailing or interpellation, as “all ideology hails or interpellates concrete individuals as concrete subjects” (324). · An example he gives is of someone being hailed with a “Hey, you!” and turning around – the act of turning around means that that person has acknowledged that he is being hailed and has therefore become a subject. ** Discussion Points ** · Do you agree with Althusser that individuals are __given__ representations of their relation to social relations (see bottom of page 322)? · What does Althusser mean his comment, “ideology has no history” (323)?
 * Background **