A set of theories can only gain cultural legitimacy by broad proliferation of ideas in certain socio-political epochs. Consequently, as a group we have considered Louis Althusser and Antonio Gramsci as two of the most relevant Marxist followers.
It has been argued (Durham and Kellner 2006) that Marx’s and Althusser’s critiques equally focused on the often indiscernible manner in which ideas perpetuate the governing hierarchical order to naturalize and propagate the governing concepts in cultural forms. Accordingly, our quality of subjects- linked to a precise operation Althusser named interpellation- appears to be a primary obviousness. Moreover, McLellan (1995, p. 28) argues that Althusser contributes to the Marxist concept of ideology through his view of people as carriers of social functions rather than self-governing entities. Like Gramsci, Althusser is against ideology as false perception, given that he sees it as a “quasi-material existence” (McLellan 1995, p.28) which is incorporated in our culture, in the form of “ideological state apparatuses” (Althusser 1969, p. 233) - church, school, the media.
Likewise, the Italian thinker Gramsci presents hegemony as being generated by the socio-political integration of subordinate factions to a “given sociopolitical constellation”, showing “the particular interest as general or the general interest as ruling” (Durham and Kellner 2006, p. XV). Accordingly, Žižek (1995, p. 155) defines Laclau and Mouffe’s concept of hegemonic articulation as: “taking hold of … «floating» signifiers-such as freedom, democracy, the people-and weaving them into a particular ideological context”.
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Likewise, the Italian thinker Gramsci presents hegemony as being generated by the socio-political integration of subordinate factions to a “given sociopolitical constellation”, showing “the particular interest as general or the general interest as ruling” (Durham and Kellner 2006, p. XV). Accordingly, Žižek (1995, p. 155) defines Laclau and Mouffe’s concept of hegemonic articulation as: “taking hold of … «floating» signifiers-such as freedom, democracy, the people-and weaving them into a particular ideological context”.
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| http://www.deviantart.com/ |
Moreover, Althusser (1969) supports Marx’s “theoretical anti-humanism”, derived from a definition of man as having a mainly biological character. Thus, he considers human nature as a societal stratum that is appended to the material dimension of the individual for, as Rorty (1989), cited in McLellan (1995, p. 74), said: “people are children of their time and place without any significant metaphysical or biological limits on their plasticity".
References
Althusser, L. 1969. For Marx. London: Allen Lane.
Durham, M. G. and Kellner, D. M. 2006. Media and cultural studies: keyworks. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
McLellan, D. 1995. Ideology. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Žižek, P. 1995. The invisible remainder. London: Verso.
Word Count: 295
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