The Ideological Structure by Marta Harnecker 1. Introustion 2. The content of the ideo- logteat Level. 8. Ideology ard Social Classe 4. Ideology and Stouoture. 5, Tdeologioal re~ gione 6. Practioal Ideologies and Theorettoal Teologtes 7. Ideological Tendencies 8. The origin of the Falee ari Deformed Character of eclegioal Repracantations 9. The Ideological Struoture ani Boonomia Determination 1, -mwrgopueTion (1) In the previous chapters ve have seen that narxiot theory holds that in all societies there re three levels: the economic level, the jur~ {do~political level, and the ideological level. ‘The articulation of these three levels among. theaselves is 8 complex set of realtionships with the economic level being determinant in’ the net instance. IE we use Marx and Engels" architectural metaphor of a building with a foundation or in Frastructure and a superstructure which rests on thie foundation, it can be said the ideology to the superstructure. But ideology is ted to being solely an instance of the Guperstructure, it exists in other parts of the Gociel structure as vel, If 15 THE CEMENT THAT WOLDS THE BUILDING TOGETHER. Ideology makes people adhere to their roles, their functions and their social relations. Ideology penetrates into all human act vities, including the economic and political practices, It appears in their attitudes tovard the requirenents of production, the conception that the workers have of the acchanism of pro~ duction. Tt is prenent in political attitudes fand judgements, in cynicism, in honesty, in re~ ‘Signation, and in rebellion. Tt governs family behavior, relations vith other persons and with nature, It ie present in our judgenente about "the meaning of Life’ Ideology is present to such a degree in all of our acts and gestures that it becomes INDI CERNTBLE FROM THE WAY WE EXPERIENCE LIFE, and for this reason, all our immediate analyses of "Life™ fare profoundly marked by the action of ideology. nen ve think that ve are faced with a clear and unobstructed perception of reality or vith « pure practice, vhat we really have is a percep~ Pion or, practice vhich ia "impure", influenced by the invisible atruccures of ideology. Since one does not perceive his/her ovn actions, one tends to take one's perceptions of things and of the world as perceptions of the "thing itself" with Sut realizing that this perception only ta place under the distorting action of, ideology. 2. THE CONTENT OF THE IDEOLOGICAL LEVEL ‘The ideological level is, therefore, an ob- jéctive reality, indispensable for the existence af every society, even # communist society. What 4s the content of this level? | tt! 4a formed by two kinds of systens: the syeten of ‘dens and social representations (ideology in the strict sense) and the ayeton of attitudes and sogial behavior (custo ‘The SYSTEM OF IDEAS AND SOCIAL REPRESENTA TONS includes the political, juridical, moral, EAtgious, aesthetic, and philosophical {deus of Benkind in a given society. These ideas are given in the fora of different views of the Ebeid and of aan's role in it, Ideologies are Tor objective, scientitic representations of the World, but repre i elesente; rather than describe reality, they Ulprecs devives, hopes, nostalgia. Ideologies foneain elesents of Knovledge, but what prem ‘lenents which have the Siow oF ADAPTING TO REALITY. live thelr relations to the world within ideology.Te is this which transforea their consciousnt their attitudes and their conduct in order to adjust then to their duties and conditions of existence. For exanple! religious ideology which treats the isques and feelings around suffering and death gives the exploited the ideas that permit then to better endure their conditions of existenc ‘THE SYSTEM OF ATTITUDES AND SOCIAL BEHAVIORS is wade up of all the habite, customs, and con dencies necessary to act n'a certein way. Te iz easier for someone to change hie view of the world, that ia, his ideology in the strict sense, than fo change his customary sling practically vith erucial situations. For this reason ideology in the strict sense and the aystea of attitudes and behaviors are not al identical. ‘The dialectical relations that are established between then range fron total ¥. Partial correlation to contradiction, Tt is important to pay attention to the ays: tem of attitudes and behaviors, since through fe are expressed specific ideological tendencies, ‘Thus, for example, certain CUSTOMS, "work habia @ certain "style of leadership and’ comand" which can be contrary to proletarian ideology can be found in socialist militants or leaders. ‘These vork habita and styles of leadership can, if they are permitted, becone widespread, and hence become signs of social distinction (con scious or unconscious) in the ideological clase ‘struggle. The bureaucratic or technocratic be~ havior of sone marxist leaders reveals the pene- tration of bourgeois ideology into the ranks of the working ela: IDEOLOGY AND THE SOCTAL CLASSES (2) We have seen that both in a classle society ideology has the inforcing a given relation of with each other end with their con tions of existence, adapting individuals to the tasks that society sets for them. In class society this function is dominated by. the vay human beings are divided into clases. Ideology, in this case, is supposed to ASSURE ‘THAT PEOPLE REMAIN IN THE GENERAL STRUCTURE: OF GLASS EXPLOITATION. it is supposed to asaure fhe domination of one class over the rest, waking the exploited accept the conditions of their exploitation as if they were based on the "will of God", or “nature” or “moral duty", ete, But ideology i¢ not simply a “pious Lie! invented by the exploiters to teick’ the ex ploited. It serves then as a bond of social Cohesion that they act as nenbers of the a glass, that of exploiters, The "pious ict oe ideology as, chus, « double purpose: tr 18 EXIHCTSED ovin Tue’ cousciousNéss OF THE xPLO1~ ‘TED TO WAKE THEM ACCEPT AS NATURAL THEIR Eofe BITTON oF weINo wxPLOrTeD aN 78 EXERCISES Shee TE MENDERS OF THE DowiNaN? CLASS TO PaRKit”” MEN To PRACTICE, 1¥ A NATURAL Wa, THEIR EAE PLOTTATION AND DOMINATION. S IDEOLOGY AnD staucTURE Ideology, Like all of social x only intelligible through its structur ology brings with it representations, inage signs, etc., but these eleaents mean nothing in isolation, “It is the system of ideology, ite mode of combining its elenents that give then meaning; it is ite structure that determines ite significance and its function, Since it is de~ termined by its STRUCTURE, ideology is gre than the sum of all the ways in which it ie Lived by one or another individual, Ideology, therefore, is not reducible to the individual forms in vhich it is lived, and for this reason it can be the OBJECT OF OBJECTIVE STUDY. For this reason ve can speak of the nature of ide ology and examine it, 3. IDEOLOGICAL REGTONS ‘The objective study of ideology enables us to see that, in epite of ite being a realiey that is diffused throughout the entire social body, it can be divided, into particular regions centered around different themes. tn thie way We can distinguish relatively autonomous region® in the heart of the ideological realm, for ex- ample: moral, religious, juridical, political, aesthetic, and philosophical ideology, etc. Not all of these regions have alvays ex- isted in history, Te is possible to forsce that certain ones will disappear or be mixed vith others in the course of the history of socialis and communism. Im relation. tothe social classes which exist in different societies, one or another region doninates the others.” In this vay we can explain, for exanple, the renarke of Marx and Engele about the doninant influence of ideology in all the movements of peasant rebellion from the XIvth century to the XVLIith, and even in cartain primitive foras in the vorkera’ movement, Religious ideology seeas to dominate as an ideological region in the history of certain op- Pressed races, as with the Negroes in the US. 6. PRACTICAL IDEOLOGIES AND THEORETICAL TDEOLOGIES Im each of the previously ideology can exist in two forms less diffuse, unreflective form or as « PRACTI-~ CAL TDEOLOGY’and 2) a nore or less conscious,: ayetenatized and reflective form, as « THEORETI 2 CAL TDEOLOOY. wentioned regions, 1) a more oF We know that religious ideologies can exist which have rules, rites, ete. without having a theological system; the appearance of « theology Fepresents « higher lovel of theoretical syste matizations of religious ideology. The sane occurs within the other regions of ideology, They can exist under a non-thearetical, un aystennatic forn, the forn of customs, ‘ten= dencies, preferencen, ete. . . or, on the con trary, under a systematic and reflective form Like moral "theory", political "theory", ete. The highest theoretical form of ideology a.philosophy in the craditional sense of the word, Te is inportant to clarify eight now that thege “THEORETICAL. TOROLOGIES" can contain scientific elenents, but since these elenents are contsined within an ideological structure, they ean provide only partial knowledge which is distorted or limited by ite locstion with « this ateycrure 7. IDEOLOGICAL, TENDENCIES Not only. are there qreas or regions of ideology, but there exier, in addiviba, dif 9 ferent ideological tendencies. a By stating that "the dosinant ideas are the’, ideas of the dominant clase" Marx shows us how te study diverse ideological eendencies. in the same way that there are dominant classes and donineted classes, there are dominant and dominated ileologies ‘Therefore, vithin the ideological evel in general, we can observe the existence of ys DIFFERENT IDEOLOGICAL TENDENCIES WHICH EXPRESS j, THE "REPRESENTATIONS" OF THE DIFFERENT SOCIAL, CLASSES: bourgeois, petty bourgeois, and pro levarian ideology But we should not lose. aight of che fact that in, capitalise societies petty bourgeois andy. proletarian ideologies are SUBORDINATED to those, GE the euling class, which always win out. + 5 Gespité the protests of the exploited. This ../y acientitic cruth ie of decisive importance in understanding the history of the workers!’ mover ment and of communist practice. What, does) Marx