- 26 Apr 2009 02:24
#1886527
By FallenRaptor
Ideology
In order to understand how ideology is used in social hegemony, it is necessary to understand what ideology is and how it functions. In Marxist terminology, ideology is often synonymous with 'false consciousness' and is the opposite of science. Instead of representing the material world accurately, ideology is the imaginary representation of the relations people have towards their real conditions of existence. Despite it's imaginary nature, however, ideology does have a material existence, which lies in it's apparatus(ie. a painting) and in it's practice("Kneel down, move your lips in prayer, and you will believe" - Pascal). It is through these apparatuses & practices that ideology transforms individuals into subjects, a process the French communist theorist Louis Althusser calls 'interpellation' or 'hailing'. Examples of interpellation exist everywhere in our everyday lives, from priests baptising new members of the church to you saying "hello" to a person on the street. Ideology is so pervasive that we are virtually always made subjects by it, even when we are not aware of it and even before we are born.
Ideological State Apparatus
As mentioned in the last article, repression from the state(which will will refer to as the repressive state apparatus or RSA) is not enough for the ruling class to maintain social hegemony(the existing conditions of production). The ruling class, either consciously or unconciously, also employs ideology to manufacture consent amongst the masses. The apparatuses that the ruling class uses to do this are called ideological state apparatuses, or ISAs. Examples of the major ISAs consist of the following:
The religious ISA (the system of the different churches),
The educational ISA (the system of the different public and private schools),
The family ISA
The legal ISA
The political ISA (the political system, including the different parties),
The trade-union ISA,
The communications ISA (press, radio and television, etc.),
The cultural ISA (literature, the arts, sports, etc.).
It becomes evident that there are several other differences between the ISA and the RSA. The RSA is highly centralized & unitary while the ISAs are dispersed and heterogeneous. It is also clear that some ISAs serve other social functions. In fact, there is no such thing as a purely ideological or purely repressive state apparatus, as all state apparatuses use both repression and ideology to some degree.
While not denying the tremendous influence all ISAs have, Althusser claimed that the dominant ISA in pre-capitalist society was obviously the church, while the dominant ISA in capitalist society is the education system. Since early youth, every person born in modern capitalist society must go to school(either run by the bourgeois government or directly by private capitalists) for until biological and social maturity. It is successful in squeezing the ideas of the ruling class into the youth at their most tender ages while maintaining a neutral appearence to the families of the students, which also serve as state apparatuses in pushing their children through their education.
Ideology
In order to understand how ideology is used in social hegemony, it is necessary to understand what ideology is and how it functions. In Marxist terminology, ideology is often synonymous with 'false consciousness' and is the opposite of science. Instead of representing the material world accurately, ideology is the imaginary representation of the relations people have towards their real conditions of existence. Despite it's imaginary nature, however, ideology does have a material existence, which lies in it's apparatus(ie. a painting) and in it's practice("Kneel down, move your lips in prayer, and you will believe" - Pascal). It is through these apparatuses & practices that ideology transforms individuals into subjects, a process the French communist theorist Louis Althusser calls 'interpellation' or 'hailing'. Examples of interpellation exist everywhere in our everyday lives, from priests baptising new members of the church to you saying "hello" to a person on the street. Ideology is so pervasive that we are virtually always made subjects by it, even when we are not aware of it and even before we are born.
Ideological State Apparatus
As mentioned in the last article, repression from the state(which will will refer to as the repressive state apparatus or RSA) is not enough for the ruling class to maintain social hegemony(the existing conditions of production). The ruling class, either consciously or unconciously, also employs ideology to manufacture consent amongst the masses. The apparatuses that the ruling class uses to do this are called ideological state apparatuses, or ISAs. Examples of the major ISAs consist of the following:
The religious ISA (the system of the different churches),
The educational ISA (the system of the different public and private schools),
The family ISA
The legal ISA
The political ISA (the political system, including the different parties),
The trade-union ISA,
The communications ISA (press, radio and television, etc.),
The cultural ISA (literature, the arts, sports, etc.).
It becomes evident that there are several other differences between the ISA and the RSA. The RSA is highly centralized & unitary while the ISAs are dispersed and heterogeneous. It is also clear that some ISAs serve other social functions. In fact, there is no such thing as a purely ideological or purely repressive state apparatus, as all state apparatuses use both repression and ideology to some degree.
While not denying the tremendous influence all ISAs have, Althusser claimed that the dominant ISA in pre-capitalist society was obviously the church, while the dominant ISA in capitalist society is the education system. Since early youth, every person born in modern capitalist society must go to school(either run by the bourgeois government or directly by private capitalists) for until biological and social maturity. It is successful in squeezing the ideas of the ruling class into the youth at their most tender ages while maintaining a neutral appearence to the families of the students, which also serve as state apparatuses in pushing their children through their education.