Marxism: Althusser's structuralist Marxism

Question 1

For structuralist Marxists, rather than people’s actions, what is it that shape history?

Answer 1

• social structures

Question 2

Althusser rejects the base-superstructure model for what model instead?

Answer 2

• a more complex one, what Craib calls ‘structural determinism’

Question 3

In the ‘structural determinism’ model, what three structures/ levels does capitalist society have? Give some details

Answer 3

• the economic level - comprising all those activities that involve producing something in order to satisfy a need
• the political level - comprising all forms of organisation
• the ideological level - involving all the ways that people see themselves and their world

Question 4

In the base-superstructure model, the economic level determines everything about the other two levels. What happens in Althusser’s model?

Answer 4

• the political and ideological levels have relative autonomy from the economic level
• the political and ideological levels are not a mere reflection of the economic level, they can even affect what happens in the economic level

Question 5

What 2 ‘apparatuses’ of political and ideological functions does Althusser suggest that the state performs?

Answer 5

• repressive state apparatuses

- ideological state appartuses

Question 6

For structuralist Marxists, what is an illusion?

Answer 6

• our sense of free will, choice and creativity

Question 7

Why is Althusser dismissive of humanists?

Answer 7

• they believe that people can use their creativity, reason and free will to change society

Question 8

Althusser argues that we are not the free agents that humanists think we are - what are his ideas on the subject?

Answer 8

• our belief that we possess free will and choice is simply false consciousness produced by the ISAs

Question 9

In reality, what does Althusser believe we are?

Answer 9

• products of social structures that determine everything about us, preparing us to fit into pre-existing positions in the structure of capitalism

Question 10

How does Althusser believe socialism will come about?

Answer 10

• he believes it will come about because of a crisis of capitalism resulting from ‘over-determination’ - the contradictions in all three structures that occur relatively independently of each other

Question 11

How can this ‘scientific approach’ be criticised?

Answer 11

• discourages political activism because it stresses the role of structural factors

Question 12

How can Althusser be accused of elitism?

Answer 12

• ignores the fact that it is the active struggles of the wc that can change society
• accusing him of assuming the communist party knows whats best and wc should follow party’s lead