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The ideological state apparatus (ISA) is a concept formulated by Louis Althusser as a part of his structuralist reinterpretation of base-superstructure dialectics. This term refers to various institutions and systems that contribute to the reproduction of the relations of production within a given class society, by generating ideology. Together with the repressive state apparatus, the ideological state apparatus comprises the state apparatus.
Overview
According to Althusser, an ideological state apparatus is distinct from what he terms the repressive state apparatus (RSA). While the latter comprises the government, administration, military, police, courts, and prisons, which function primarily by violence or the threat of violence, the former operates on the level of ideology[1].
ISAs include institutions such as the educational ISA, the family ISA, the religious ISA (the system of the different churches), the communications ISA (press, radio, and television, etc.), the cultural ISA (literature, the arts, sports, etc.), the legal ISA, the political ISA (the political system, including different parties), and the trade-union ISA, which Althusser said was an incomplete list[2], and noted that in his view only Antonio Gramsci had gone this far as to define the sociological components of society from a Marxist perspective, with him writing 'Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses' in 1970. These institutions defined as ideological state apparatuses play a key role in maintaining and reproducing social relations of production by shaping people's beliefs, attitudes, and values in a way that normalizes and legitimizes the dominant mode of production. This concept aligns with Antonio Gramsci's concept of cultural hegemony[3].
Functioning
Each ISA contributes to the production of ideology in its own way, as a complex interrelated structure of ideological reproduction. For example, the education system is seen by Althusser as the primary ISA in capitalist societies, as it is where individuals are taught the values, attitudes, and beliefs that encourage conformity to the capitalist social order.
The family is another ISA which plays a crucial role in shaping a child's initial worldview, installing the primary understanding of authority, hierarchy, and norms. Similarly, the media and cultural sphere generate ideology through representation and the shaping of public discourse.
Althusser further posits that ISAs have "relative autonomy", which means that while they are part of the broader social formation and influenced by the economic base, they are not mechanically determined by it, and are able exert their own influence on social relations.
It can be argued that in the modern day, mainstream social media is one of the primary ISAs.
See also
References
- ↑ https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1970/ideology.htm
- ↑ Louis Althusser (1970). Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses: 'The State; State Ideological Apparatuses'.
- ↑ A. Gramsci, "Prison Notebooks", "Cultural Topics. I."