Ideology and Ideological

State Apparatuses
By Louis Althusser
Presented By: Sara OUCHOUD
Ikram MSALLAK
Rim LAMLIH
Fatima Ezzahra FARDI
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 02 03 04
Who’s Louis State Power & State What is Althusser’s
On the Reproduction Apparatuses
Althusser? of the Relations of
“ideology”?
Repressive State
Production. Apparatuses(RSA)vs.
Ideological State
Apparatuses(ISA)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

05 The role of education

How does Althusser's

06 concept of ideology relate 07 Conclusion
to Marxist theory
 01
Who’s Louis Althusser?
 Louis Althusser

● His full name is Louis Pierre Althusser born the 16th October , 1918 in
Birmandreis and dead the 22th October , 1990 in La Verrière, France.

● He studied at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris.

● He is known for his work in Marxist philosophy and for being a leading
intellectual within the French Communist Party.
● Structuralism: Applied structuralist approaches to Marxist theory,
significantly influencing the field.

● His major Works are: "For Marx" (1965): Collection of essays that
reinterpreted Marxism using structuralist methods, and "Reading
Capital" (1965): Co-authored with Étienne Balibar, offering a
structuralist reading of Karl Marx's "Capital".
 02
Reproduction
 In a capitalist society, it has to reproduce and regenerate itself to maintain its existence and
continuity.

• Perpetuate the mode of production.

• Forces of production: means of production(machinery, tools, technology…)+ Labor power(human

effort, skills, and abilities required to produce goods)

• Relations of production: These relationships determine who controls the means of production and who
performs the labor. In capitalist societies, the bourgeoisie owns the means of production and employs
the proletariat, who must sell their labor power to survive.

.
 So, how does the process of reproduction take place?
 03
State Power & State
Apparatuses
 State
State Power State Apparatuses
• Political power • Institutions of state

• Ruling class

State Apparatuses

Repressive State Ideological State

Apparatuses(RSA) Apparatuses(ISA)
 Repressive State Apparatuses (RSA)

An institution that consists of "the Government, the Administration, the Army, the Police, the
Courts, the Prisons, etc." These are the agencies that function "by violence," by at some point
imposing punishment or privation in order to enforce power.
 Ideological State Apparatuses(ISA)
ISAs rely on ideology over the repressive.
Althusser conveniently lists a number of the major ISAs:

• the religious ISA (the system of different Churches)

• the educational ISA (the system of 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.)
 The difference between RSA & ISA
Every State Apparatus, whether Repressive or Ideological, ‘Functions’ both by violence and by
ideology.
• RSA functions predominantly by repression (including physical repression while functioning
secondarily by ideology.
• ISAs function predominantly by ideology but can include punishment or repression secondarily:
"Schools and Churches use suitable methods of punishment, expulsion, selection, etc., to
'discipline'. The same is true of the Family... The same is true of the cultural IS Apparatus
(censorship, among other things), etc."
 04
What is Althusser’s
“ideology”?
● Louis Althusser developed a distinctive theory of ideology that diverged from traditional Marxist views. His
ideas are primarily articulated in his essay "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses" (1970).

● Althusser posits a series of hypotheses that he explores to clarify his understanding of ideology:

1. Representational: "Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of
existence“

2. Material: "Ideology has a material existence“

3. From individual to subject: "all ideology hails or interpellates concrete individuals as concrete subjects“

4. Always already subjects: "individuals are always-already subjects"

 "Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of
individuals to their real conditions of existence“
Ideology does not reflect reality instead it functions as a mask: Individuals' understanding of their
existence is shaped by this ideological narrative, which can often mask the true nature of their social and
economic conditions.

Function of Ideology: By providing these imaginary relationships, ideology helps to stabilize and
perpetuate the existing social order. It makes the current mode of production and the relations of production
appear natural and unchangeable.

Examples:

Meritocracy: In many capitalist societies, the ideology of meritocracy suggests that anyone can succeed
through hard work and talent. This belief helps individuals accept their social position as a result of personal
effort or failure, rather than understanding it in terms of class structures and economic exploitation.

Consumerism: Ideologies of consumerism promote the idea that personal fulfillment and social status are
achieved through the acquisition of goods.
 “Ideology has a material existence”
This idea challenges the traditional view of ideology as merely a set of abstract ideas or beliefs.
Instead, Althusser argues that ideology is deeply embedded in material practices and institutions.

Practices and Rituals: According to Althusser, ideology manifests itself through the practices,
rituals, and behaviors of individuals in their everyday lives. These are not just abstract thoughts
but concrete actions that people engage in. For instance, attending school, going to church,
participating in elections, or even family routines are all material practices that embody
ideological principles
 The Subject formation: Interpellation

Althusser, the main purpose of ideology is in "'constituting' concrete individuals as

subjects“
Interpellation: This is a process by which ideology addresses or "hails" individuals,
transforming them into subjects who recognize and adopt specific identities and roles
within the ideological framework.

Althusser uses the example of a police officer shouting "Hey, you there!" to illustrate
interpellation. When the person turns around, they recognize that they are being addressed.
This moment of recognition is when the individual is "hailed" and becomes a subject
within the ideological framework.
 05
Education is an ideological
state apparatus
Role of education
• The school enrolls children at a young age and continues for years, during their most
vulnerable period, balancing the influences of family and educational state
apparatuses.
• The school uniquely serves as a compulsory and free ideological state apparatus,
unlike the family, church, army, books, and football stadiums.
• Nowadays, the Church's role as the primary ISA has been taken over by the School.
• Althusser apologizes to the few teachers who resist teaching the dominant ideology
and acknowledges them as heroes.
" The school, today, is just as "'natural,' indispensable,
“
”
useful, and even beneficial for our contemporaries as the
Church was for our ancestors a few centuries ago."

—By Althusser
 06
How does Althusser's
concept of ideology relate to
Marxist theory
 Marxist theory is based on the notion that there are two major groups in society: the working
class, who sell their labor, and the bourgeoisie, or capitalist class, who possess the means of production.

the theory argues

• Conflict between Classes

• Worker exploitation which occurs when employers underpay employees for the goods and services
they create.

• Alienation: Employees experience a sense of detachment from their jobs, the outcomes of their labor,
and themselves.

• Revolution: The bourgeoisie will eventually be overthrown by the working class, who will then create a
communist society devoid of classes in which the means of production are jointly held.
Marxist theory is improved by Althusser's concept of ideology, which explains the more intricate and
diverse ways in which the ruling class holds onto power.

• Ideological State Apparatuses maintain Capitalism

• Ideological State Apparatuses maintain power
• Ideological State Apparatuses spreads dominant beliefs
 Conclusion

Althusser's concept of ideology enriches and supports

Marxism. it delves into societal structures and their
importance in maintaining power, supporting capitalism and
empowering the higher social class.
 THANKS!

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 Reference:
• Althusser, Louis. “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes towards an Investigation).” Lenin and
Philosophy and Other Essays. Translated by Ben Brewster. Monthly Review Press, 1971. pp. 127-186.

• Althusser, L. (2014). On the reproduction of capitalism: Ideology and ideological state apparatuses.
Link: https://legalform.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/althusser-on-the-reproduction-of-capitalism.pdf

• Althusser, L. (2006). Ideology and ideological state apparatuses (notes towards an investigation). The anthropology
of the state: A reader, 9(1), 86-98.

• https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/english/theory/marxism/modules/althusserideology.html

• https://youtu.be/UEcA0LXxE48?si=odjHcEVkgKP6MeTe

• https://youtu.be/XDQ65CeOkzs?si=vZnqOsiEvb3F-DuZ

• https://youtu.be/3KsfBc5rcGY?si=x9AVIAhgIKB6X1Kw