ideological state apparatus

ideological state apparatus

the institutions of the STATE which assist in reproducing the conditions of production of CAPITALISM. This is a term coined by the French Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser to describe the way institutions like schools, churches and the media function to support the state ideology. ALTHUSSER (1971) recognized that this reproduction was ensured not only by ideological state apparatuses, but also by the repressive state apparatus (army and police) which functioned principally by the use or threat of violence. How ever, no RULING CLASS could maintain state power over a long period if it lost HEGEMONY over the ideological apparatuses. Althusser has been criticized for giving too little importance to ideologies of resistance against the capitalist state in his formulation (see Elliott, 1987; Urry, 1981).

Collins Dictionary of Sociology, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2000