THEORIES- NEO-MARXISM Flashcards
QUOTE- A. Gramsci.
‘To tell the truth is revolutionary.’A. Gramsci.
QUOTE- L. Althusser
‘Ideology has very little to do with “consciousness” - it is profoundly unconscious. ‘
L. Althusser
How does the superstructure support the capitalist infrastructure today?
Family:
Small, nuclear families encourage geographical mobility and reproduce the future workforce.
Indoctrination into ruling-class ideology occurs through socialization into obedience.
Politics and Law:
Universal suffrage exists, but top positions remain dominated by the ruling class (e.g., Boris Johnson and his Eton peers).
Focus on protecting private property, including intellectual property and copyright.
Laws are selectively enforced.
Some laws (e.g., health and safety, welfare) benefit workers but serve as empty gestures or smokescreens.
Education:
Available to all, but operates as part of the Ideological State Apparatus (ISA).
Appears free and meritocratic but mainly indoctrinates the working class.
Correspondence principle reinforces class inequality.
Stratification:
Upward social mobility is possible but rare due to barriers like the glass ceiling.
Acts as a concession to working-class aspirations.
Religion:
Promotes ideas like predestination and rewards in the afterlife to maintain the status quo.
Declining influence in the 21st century.
Media:
Advertising false needs (consumer goods) distracts the working class from the root cause of their suffering.
Right-wing newspapers promote ruling-class ideology.
What are the two branches of Neo-Marxism?
Humanistic (Critical) Marxism – Gramsci
Structural (Scientific) Marxism – Althusser
Humanistic Marxism (Gramsci)
How do the ruling class maintain control?
Coercion: Use of force through the army, police, and prisons.
Hegemony: Rule through consent by spreading ideas and values via institutions like education and media.
Why is hegemony effective?
The ruling class controls the superstructure institutions that propagate ideology.
The working class accepts ruling-class dominance, even in severe economic conditions.
What makes revolution possible despite ruling-class hegemony?
Ruling class as a minority: Requires alliances (e.g., with the middle class) to maintain dominance.
Dual consciousness: The working class can see through ruling-class ideology due to their impoverished state.
How can the working class develop counter-hegemony?
Through organic intellectuals—class-conscious workers organized into revolutionary parties to create alternative visions of society.
Criticisms of Gramsci:
Over-emphasizes ideas and underestimates the
state’s coercive power.
Workers may fear ruling-class repression rather than genuinely accept hegemony.
Structural Marxism (Althusser)
How is society structured according to Althusser?
Society comprises three levels:
Economic: Activities for production to satisfy needs.
Political: Forms of organization and governance.
Ideological: Beliefs and ways people see themselves and the world.
What is relative autonomy?
The three levels operate semi-independently and influence each other via two-way causality.
Unlike traditional Marxism, the economic base does not solely determine the superstructure.
How does the state maintain ruling-class dominance?
Repressive State Apparatus (RSA): Coercive forces like the army, police, and courts.
Ideological State Apparatus (ISA): Institutions like the media, religion, and education that manipulate ideology.
How does Structural Marxism differ from Humanistic Marxism?
Althusser rejects the notion of free will, viewing it as an illusion perpetuated by ruling-class ideology.
Revolution stems from contradictions across the three levels of society, not changes in consciousness.
Criticisms of Althusser:
Overemphasizes structural determinism, ignoring individual agency.
Discourages political activism by suggesting individuals can do little to change their conditions.
Accused of elitism (Thompson): Suggests workers should follow the Communist Party’s lead.
Traditional Marxism: What is the source of inequality in society?
Class conflict between the proletariat (P) and the bourgeoisie (B).
Gramsci: What is the source of inequality in society?
Coercion and hegemony.
Althusser: What is the source of inequality in society?
The economic, political, and ideological levels.
