Ideology, according to Althusser, is an individual’s formation of views that serve the owning class. Ideology is formed via socialization, which determines who a person is based on their participation in society. Conservative politics, for example, is an ideology based on the belief that people can be distinguished by their abilities, talents, or possessions. Being “self-sufficient” or having a large sum of money is considered successful. The working class was regarded as sluggish and underachieving. Conservatives are reactive because they oppose any changes that might reduce inequality and encourage reform.
2. According to Althusser, the state develops its own apparatus where it can make citizens subject to those apparatus willingly. The kinds of ISA then include education, media, religious institutions, family, law. They function differently in terms of the conformity they demand from the citizens to continue the division or creation of the ownership of capital and making people who will submit to the ideas of a particular production system. For, Althusser education is the most important ideological apparatus. It is because first it substitutes the role of the church and second it is through education where a class structure is built based on the idea of meritocracy and achievement while making conforming individuals.
3. According to Althusser, ideology is the creation of beliefs that benefit the owning class. Ideology is established through socialization, which shapes a person’s identity based on their social engagement. For example, conservative politics is built on the concept that people can be distinguished based on their abilities, talents, or possessions. It is regarded as successful to be “self-sufficient” or to have a substantial sum of money. Working-class people were thought to be lazy and underachieving. Conservatives are reacting as a result of their opposition to any changes that might reduce inequality and promote reform.
In Althusser’s view, a Repressive State Apparatus is a social institution that controls society through fear of violence – e.g., police, courts or jails. I believe the choice of words could be explained by an assumption that those institutions inhibit individual freedom and limit one’s activities to social norms. On the other hand, upon seeing people commit crimes while claiming it was an exercise in human independence, one might consider the importance of justice, as repressive as it could sound to some.
Althusser considers schools, media and politics to be Ideological State Apparatuses – they provide an individual with several illusions, such as: the crucial importance of education, the abundance of choice (in arts and sports) and the necessity of politics. Ideological State Apparatuses are the outlet for revolutionary motives – by affiliating with the intellectual circle, a sports team or a political party, an individual is less concerned with the status quo and, therefore, does not see oneself as an agent of real social change, opting for bread and circuses as well as the illusion of being politically active.
It seems to me, that the major difference between an Ideological and Repressive State Apparatuses is motivational – when an Ideological State Apparatus tells a citizen what to do, a Repressive State Apparatus tells a citizen what not to do and what would happen if the citizen disobeyed. In the latter, we have a clear indication of fear as motivation, while in the former we have a motivation to belong, to be recognized and to be accepted to a group, such as a family, a community or a country.
CDC (Ideological State Apparatus) Guidelines on getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
A repressive state apparatus are agencies that impose a punishment due to violence. The different fictions are the army, police, juror system, and imprisonment.
Althusser’s choice of the word “repressive” is to emphasize how the repressive apparatus controls you through the threat of violence which can be through police, courts, and prison.
Ideological state apparatus is a term used to designate the facilities like schools, churches, the media, and the law. These are state spaces controlled by individual beliefs that were applied to states.
All the State Apparatus work both by constraint and by philosophy, with the distinction that the repressive State Mechanical assembly works enormously and dominating by restraint, while the Ideological State functions hugely and overwhelmingly by belief system.
Modern television is an example of ideology because it is a network that broadcasts entertainment to a board section of different people. When television features an act favoring a group of people the opposing group has a rivalry. For example, when a show includes favoring a male character with superior privilege over a female character this might be targeted more towards a republican party, opposed to a Democrat party whereas they would like to see a female playing a leading role, etc.
1. What is a Repressive State Apparatus? Why does Althusser call it “repressive”? Can we explain his choice of words here? Give an example.
The Repressive State Apparatus is a way to control people to stand their quo. Althusser calls it “repressive” because this state apparatus threatens people through violence, so as to ensure that people maintain the status quo. For example, according to “Rwanda Pursues Dissenters and the Homeless,” the author Jeffrey Gettleman expressed that during the election period of the Rwandan, President Paul Kagame ordered the police to arrest many opposition supporters, and these people were sent to jail without a court trial. The author writes, “Some opposition supporters have been attacked inside government offices; others have been jailed. Several prominent government officials who recently broke ranks with Mr. Kagame defected to other African nations, saying they feared for their lives” (Gettleman, par. 9). In Rwanda, police, courts, and prisons, which are the repressive state apparatus, use threats, and violence to control people, making the public lose the motivation to resist because of fear. Let the authorities consolidate their political rights. Therefore, Althusser calls it “repressive.”
2. Let’s do the same for the Ideological State Apparatuses. What are they, how do they seem to work?
Ideological state apparatus, which does most of the work and prevents changes to the status quo. Ideological state apparatus lets people learn to obey authority and internalize ideology. For example, schools are the biggest national ideological means because every child must go to school. In school, children learn to obey authority and discipline, and internalize their ideology. For example, Althusser said, “no other Ideological State Apparatus has the obligatory audience of the totality of the children in the capitalist social formation, eight hours a day for five or six days.” Children must receive school education, which is mandatory, and students will turn the ideology taught in the school into their spiritual pursuit. Therefore, schools are the most powerful Ideological state apparatus.
3. Important: this question will appear on our exam: How are the Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses different from each other? What is the difference between the two?
The ideological state apparatus serves to convey its ideology to make people have a strong sense of identity with their thoughts. The repressive apparatus is to control people’s mind and behavior by the threat of violence, and it is a means after the ideological state apparatus fails. According to “Althusser on Capitalist Ideology and State Apparatuses,” the speaker expressed that Louis Althusser defined the repressive and ideological state apparatuses, these two types of apparatus that controlled people’s mind and behavior. For example, the speaker said, “The first is called the repressive apparatuses, which control you through the threat of violence including police, courts, and prisons. But fear is not the primary motivator in most of our lives. As it turns out, being normal, being accepted, and belonging to a group are just as strong motivators. Here is where ideological apparatus do most of the work. Ideological apparatus prevents changes to the status quo and includes schools, politics, and mass media” (PlasticPills 5:14). The speaker explained what repressive and ideological state apparatuses are, and the differences between them. They are all devices to control people’s thoughts and behaviors, but they act on different parts.
4. Post an example of ideology. This could be a piece of writing, an image, video, pdf document, visual art, or music, clip from a movie. Next to your example, specify if this is an example of repressive or ideological apparatuses at work.
“Another Brick In The Wall” by Pink Floyd, is an example of ideological apparatuses. In the video, we can see students must learn and accept the thoughts it conveys in the school.
I don’t know much about Althusser, but according to materialist dialectics, repressive can also be understood as violence. The state is the product and manifestation of irreconcilable class contradictions, and a violent tool for one class to rule another. The state apparatus is an organization that can guarantee the continued operation of this kind of rule, and it must protect national sovereignty externally, such as the military. To maintain the orderly development of the country internally, such as the government, public prosecutors, police, etc. The so-called “repressive” means that these machines have coercive power authorized by national laws.
What I understand as ideological state apparatuses is actually the reaction of the superstructure on the economic base. Unlike repressive state apparatuses, ideological state apparatuses do not rely on violence. The ideological state apparatus is a social institution that transmits ideology in schools, education, families, political systems, and mass media. It is a frequently used means of state control and a key point for maintaining state power.
Many people, even university professors, when they hear “ideological indoctrination”, exclaim that this is “animal farm”, which is very naive. Ideology is everywhere and is often imposed on most people without people knowing it. Contrary to the perception of most people, American society and education are full of ideological indoctrination. Many people discuss politics all day long, but they neither know “what is politics” or how to solve political problems. Many of the reasons why they accept a certain point of view come from schools and the media. This is a manifestation of ideological state apparatuses. As Althusser said, if a country wants to maintain the stability of its own political power, it will inevitably control the country’s mainstream ideology, and the ideological state machine that occupies a dominant position in a mature capitalist society is education. A typical example should be the American middle school social science curriculum. The main point of the curriculum is not to solve the core and cultivate independent thinking ability, but to create stereotypes. For example, when it comes to communism, it instills the impression of terror and dictatorship in students. This behavior is well understood. The vast majority of people in society do not have the ability to take independent self-examination. As the final stage of their complete education, middle school is the best time to instill ideology. Rather than allowing other various viewpoints to cause chaos in the ideological field, it is better to directly construct a unified ideology that is conducive to national stability and government management. The most superb indoctrination of American ideology is that it allows the educated to naturally define the views of other ideologies as evil or not having the ability to think independently. This behavior or impression is difficult to change and will be considered reasonable. For example, I heard about Hong Kong’s one country, two systems. They often think that the two systems are democracy and dictatorship. But in fact, the two systems are capitalism and communism, and British colonial residents do not have the right to vote. The daily infusion of ideology makes people without independent thinking feel that the information that people who hold different opinions from them is false and not capable of independent thinking. The ultimate of Ideological State Apparatuses is not 1984 but “Brave New World”. Although prisoners have no personal freedom, they have free will because they know they are imprisoned. People living in a prison built by the glass will think that the prison is outside the glass. Although they think they are free, they will forever lose their free will.
4. I think everyone is no stranger to this song composed during the Paris Commune Movement.
“Workers of the world, unite!” (The Communist Manifesto) “The Internationale unites the human race.” (The International)
The core of ideology is the ability to mobilize the people. The proletariat may not know what surplus value is, and may not have studied the theory of exploitation. But as long as they combine their own situation when they hear these two sentences, they can quickly mobilize.
Okay, let ‘s go to the questions, consider the following:
What is a Repressive State Apparatus? Why does Althusser call it “repressive”? Can we explain his choice of words here. Give an example.
2. Let’s do the same for the Ideological State Apparatuses. What are they, how do they seem to work?
3. Important: this question will appear on our exam: How are the Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses different from each other? What is the difference between the two?
4. Post an example of ideology. This could be a piece of writing, an image, video, pdf document, visual art, or music, clip from a movie. Next to your example, specify if this is an example of repressive or ideological apparatuses at work. I’ll start us of off by giving an example.
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