- What is a Repressive State Apparatus? Why does Althusser call it “repressive”? Can we explain his choice of words here? Give an example.
Repressive state apparatus is the use of fear to manipulate and control people through threats of violence, police, courts, and prisons to maintain social order.
Althusser calls it “repressive” because they function by force and punishments. Especially for the aim of enforcing laws and maintaining order in society.
An example of repressive state apparatus is the police. The police maintain law and order by enforcing the rules and regulations, arresting offenders, and enforcing their authority through necessary force. This force can be seen as “repressive” measures.
2. Let’s do the same for the Ideological State Apparatus. What are they, and how do they seem to work?
Ideological state apparatus functions by ideology first. It is the use of institutions such as schools, politics, churches, and media to maintain order in society. They still use discipline, but they use nonviolent punishment to preserve order.
An example of an ideological state apparatus is schools, which are mandatory for all children. From a young age, schools teach us to obey and follow the rules. We are taught that if we disobey, there will be consequences, for example, expulsion.
3. How are the Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses different from each other? What is the difference between the two?
The repressive and ideological state apparatuses are different from each other because although they both use punishment as a form of control, the repressive state apparatus uses violent measures first, while the ideological state apparatus uses ideology first and then uses a nonviolent threat or punishment to enforce order and discipline. The use of police force to keep law and order is a repressive act. The punishment of detention in school, when a child doesn’t follow the rules or schedule, is an ideological state apparatus.
4. Post an example of ideology. This could be a piece of writing, an image, a video, a PDF document, visual art, music, or a clip from a movie. Next to your example, specify if this is an example of repressive or ideological apparatuses at work.
American Idiot by Green Day
The song American Idiot is about ideological apparatus at work. The song discusses that the United States is a “nation under the new media,” meaning the media controls the narrative, homogenizing our information and thoughts. Pushing forth “propaganda” and “subliminal” messaging through the television and radio in order to control us. A “nation” that is “controlled by the media,” spreading the information and controlling the masses with “hysteria” and not violence.
Hey Mallory, you have fantastic descriptions of Repressive and Ideological state apparatuses. You managed to simplify both down to their bare bones and I feel like I genuinely understand both and the differences between them a bit better. Describing them both as forms of punishment for acting out of the defined social order, with one being violent-measure focused and the other ideology-focused, helped me grasp the concept well. I love the example of “American Idiot” by Green Day as an example of Ideological apparatus, and I fully agree that it almost defines what those do in order to maintain the status quo. Great choice!
In fact, one glaring example of a state facilities that is oppressive is the police. They frequently utilize force and authority to uphold law and order, which is indicative of the ways in which the state sustains current power systems and social hierarchies.