Marxism: Althusser's structuralist Marxism Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Marxism: Althusser's structuralist Marxism Deck (12)
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1
Q

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

A
  • social structures
2
Q

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

A
  • a more complex one, what Craib calls ‘structural determinism’
3
Q

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

A
  • 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
4
Q

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

A
  • 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
5
Q

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

A
  • repressive state apparatuses

- ideological state appartuses

6
Q

For structuralist Marxists, what is an illusion?

A
  • our sense of free will, choice and creativity
7
Q

Why is Althusser dismissive of humanists?

A
  • they believe that people can use their creativity, reason and free will to change society
8
Q

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

A
  • our belief that we possess free will and choice is simply false consciousness produced by the ISAs
9
Q

In reality, what does Althusser believe we are?

A
  • products of social structures that determine everything about us, preparing us to fit into pre-existing positions in the structure of capitalism
10
Q

How does Althusser believe socialism will come about?

A
  • 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
11
Q

How can this ‘scientific approach’ be criticised?

A
  • discourages political activism because it stresses the role of structural factors
12
Q

How can Althusser be accused of elitism?

A
  • 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