Anna Kosloski
Essays on Ideology
Louis Althusser
Central Question: In trying to go beyond Marx’s interpretation of capitalist society, Althusser
wants to know: (a) why and how capitalism can be sustained? (b) how can a capitalist society
exerts control over its subjects to reproduce its productive power?
In order to answer these questions, Louis Althusser discusses the conditions of production,
structures of society, theory of a state, the role of an individual, and creates a typology of how he
views the state functioning both as a repressive agent and as an ideological agent to sustain itself.
I. On the Reproductions of the Conditions of Production
 Althusser, a Marxist scholar, agrees with Marx in a sense that the practices of production
are ingrained into our everyday lives that they go unnoticed in our level of consciousness.
 Althusser says in order for a capitalist society to survive they must “reproduce the
conditions of its production at the same time it produces,” thus capitalism needs
(a) the productive force
(b) the existing relations of production
 The creation of a working class is achieved largely through institutions (Church, Family,
School) with the most dominant and influential institution being the school. Learn
rudimentary skills (reading, writing), rules of good behavior, subjugation to the ruling
ideology (pp. 6-7).
II. Theory of a State
 Marxist society is structured through varying levels which included infrastructure, or the
economic system (unity of productive forces) and superstructure, which included
politico-legal (laws) and ideology (religious, ethical, political, etc). (See Figure 1)
Figure 1: Structure of Society
Superstructure (politicolegal and ideology)
Reciprocal/
Determination
Infrastructure (economic
system)
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In the traditional Marxist sense, State is a “machine of repression, which enables the
ruling classes to ensure their domination over the working class” (p. 11)
In Althusser’s view the reproduction of production is fostered through the power of the
State and the two levels of the State Apparatus (Repressive and Ideological).
State Apparatuses: Repressive State Apparatus (RSA) and Ideological State Apparatuses
(ISA)
Repressive (RSA)
Includes: Government,
Administration, Army, Police,
Courts, and Prisons
Ideological (ISA)
Includes: Church, Schools, Family,
Legal, Political parties, Culture, and
Media
Functions by violence to enforce
power. First and foremost functions
by repression and then by ideology
Functions by ideology, then secondly
through repression
Public domain
Private domain
The ruling class holds power over the State and therefore holds power over both the
Repressive State Apparatus and the Ideological State Apparatuses. However it is more
difficult to control the multiple ISAs and therefore this is where class struggle ensues (p.
21)
III. Ideology
 In line with traditional Marxist thinking, ideology is defined as “the system of the ideas
and representations which dominate the mind of man or a social group” (p. 32)
 Althusser proposes two competing theories: (a) that ideologies can have a history of their
own; (b) ideology in general has no history (omni-historical)
 In a sense, Althusser is arguing that ideology is our understanding of reality and how we
construct the world around us (i.e.: our understanding of God as Man)
 Ideology is manifested through actions and therefore has a material existence
 Ideology is presented through ISA and therefore connects to the reproduction of
production as Althusser tells us that our exploitation is considered normal based on our
ideologies.
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