How is culture seen as ideology?

The key Marxist concept with which to understand the culture control
by ‘ruling ideas’ is ideology. Culture is seen to contain a ruling-class
ideology that is socialized into the consciousness of the individuals
living in a society. In order to define ‘ideology’ we shall look at two
sociologists’ consideration of the term:
The particular conception of ideology
is implied when the term denotes that
we are skeptical of the ideas and
representations advanced by our
opponent. They are regarded as more
or less conscious disguises of the real
nature of a situation, the true
recognition of which would not be in
accord with his interests (Mannheim,
1960).
In this view ideology consists of ideas that are purposefully incorrect.
These ideas are used by their formulators to control others. Ideology is
thus deliberately created by the powerful to ensure their continuing
domination through the manipulation of others by means of false ideas:
By ideology I mean the mental
frameworks- the languages, the
concepts, categories, imagery of
thought, and the systems of
representation- which different classes
and social groups deploy in order to
make sense of, define, figure out and
render intelligible the way society
works…the theory of ideology helps us
to analyze how a particular set of
ideas comes to dominate the social
thinking of a historical bloc… and
 maintain its dominance and leadership
over society as a whole. It has
especially to do with the concepts and
the languages of practical thought
which stabilize a particular form of
power and domination (Hall, 1996)
In this view, different groups (the powerful and the powerless) have
their own ideologies- their own world views- and the battle between
these ideologies is a struggle for power. An ideology

becomes dominant throughout society, gives people a language and

rules, which they use to understand the world around them. Hence
ideological struggle is a struggle over the ‘correct’ way to think.