I found Althusser’s writing in ‘Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses’ to be a bit hard to follow, but I did draw on some interesting concepts that he presented. One being that he refers to us all as subjects to ideology.
“I shall then suggest that ideology ‘acts’ or ‘functions’ in such a way that it ‘recruits’ subjects among the individuals (it recruits them all), or ‘transforms’ the individuals into subjects (it transforms them all) by that very precise operation which I have called interpellation or hailing,” (47).
Althusser seems to have the opinion that certain everyday rituals are now subject to ideological practice and that we have been ‘recruited’ to perform them. In many ways, I agree with Althusser. He gives the handshake as an example as a practice that we fall subject to in everyday life. This is by far one of the most common occurrences to happen on a day-to-day basis. As a society, we have become subjects to the ideology that this is how we are supposed to greet people. On a smaller scale, as a Rollins College community, it has become commonplace for students to walk around campus with big sunglasses on and cell phones pressed to their ear. We have become subjects to the ideology that some have created, being that we are all very important people and we ALL have someone to talk to at all hours of the day, or at least while we are in public. All individuals are subjects to the pitfalls and delights of ideology.
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I found Althusser’s writing in ‘Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses’ to be a bit hard to follow, but I did draw on some interesting concepts that he presented. One being that he refers to us all as subjects to ideology.
“I shall then suggest that ideology ‘acts’ or ‘functions’ in such a way that it ‘recruits’ subjects among the individuals (it recruits them all), or ‘transforms’ the individuals into subjects (it transforms them all) by that very precise operation which I have called interpellation or hailing,” (47).
Althusser seems to have the opinion that certain everyday rituals are now subject to ideological practice and that we have been ‘recruited’ to perform them. In many ways, I agree with Althusser. He gives the handshake as an example as a practice that we fall subject to in everyday life. This is by far one of the most common occurrences to happen on a day-to-day basis. As a society, we have become subjects to the ideology that this is how we are supposed to greet people. On a smaller scale, as a Rollins College community, it has become commonplace for students to walk around campus with big sunglasses on and cell phones pressed to their ear. We have become subjects to the ideology that some have created, being that we are all very important people and we ALL have someone to talk to at all hours of the day, or at least while we are in public. All individuals are subjects to the pitfalls and delights of ideology.
Solid post. Even though you said you had some trouble following the reading you picked a good quote that you understand and analyzed it.
-Starfish
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