1. A repressive state apparatus or an RSA to Althusser, refers to specific institutions like the police, the military, and courts that will enforce the rules through the threat of force or the immediate use of it if not followed. The reason why he calls it repressive is because of how these institutions use coercion to ensure that people will comply with the norms and rules set in place, often resulting in those that do not follow these rules with punishment. An example of this can be the police arresting someone for breaking the law and therefore using force to maintain control and to uphold the balance.
2. Ideological State Apparatus or ISAs are institutions in society that can shape people’s beliefs, their values, and their own behaviors through the use of ideology in comparison to outright force. Examples of these ISA’s include schools, churches, media, their own family, and other cultural institutions. The main way that ISAs work is that they spread ideas of people accepting beliefs that align with those in higher power. For example, in the video, “Althusser on Capitalist Ideology and State Apparatuses”, he discusses the concept of behavioral reinforcement in school through detention, or being removed from class and how that influences children to become obedient workers in a capitalist system. They’re doing it in subtle ways to make people change the way that they think without direct force. Unlike an RSA that enforces the order by using physical force, ISAs are using a separate way to change the thinking of students to conform to the norm.
3. The main differences between Repressive State Apparatuses and Ideological State Apparatuses are specifically in the way that they maintain and enforce societal norms. RSAs consisting of the police, military, and courts follow a path of coercion and force to make individuals from defecting from the laws in place. It is a more physical approach, using direct power to keep them in line. ISAs however like schools, churches, and the media operate through ideology and persuasion by shaping people’s values. They are embedding specific behaviors to make them willingly conform to the laws and norms in place. They work with a more subtle influence to guide people on how to appropriately think and act.
4. https://youtu.be/6AWTVvitlb0?feature=shared
Within this video it talks about the use of the Pledge of Allegiance, the purpose it serves, and a brief history of it’s conception. The pledge of allegiance can be used as an example of an Ideological State Apparatus specifically through the education system. The act of reciting the pledge can reinforce the values of patriotism, to develop their own loyalty to the state, and their identity to their own country. I believe that it could also lead to thoughts of American Exceptionalism due to the constant repetition of the pledge reinforcing the idea that the U.S. is a special and superior nation.
Hi Kinsey, your response provides a clear and concise explanation of Althusser’s concepts of Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses. You effectively describe how RSAs, like the police and military, use force and coercion to ensure compliance with societal rules, while ISAs, such as schools and churches, shape people’s beliefs and behaviors through ideology.
The comparison between RSAs and ISAs is well-explained, highlighting that RSAs enforce order through physical power, while ISAs subtly influence individuals to conform by shaping their values and thoughts. Your example of detention in schools as a way of reinforcing obedience within a capitalist system effectively illustrates how ISAs operate.
Your use of the Pledge of Allegiance as an example of an ISA is a strong illustration of how schools, as institutions, instill values like patriotism and loyalty to the state, showing how ISAs work to shape collective beliefs without the use of force.
Overall, your explanation is thorough, and your examples effectively support your understanding of the differences between RSAs and ISAs.