Overdetermination althusser versus resnick and wolff louis. Althusser argues that the state consists of two elements he calls these apparatuses. His essay contradiction and overdetermination borrows the concept of. Louis althusser, contradiction and overdetermination.
Althusser s work constitutes a decisive moment in the problem of ideology by conceptualizing it as a universal element of society operating on its own materiality. He taught philosophy for many years at the ecole n ormale superieure in paris and was a leading intellectual in the french communist. Louis althusser stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. May 18, 2015 ideology, in althussers view at this time, was a matter of the unconscious, inescapable even by the dominant class. Inducted into the french army in 1939, althusser was captured by german troops in 1940 and spent the remainder of the war in a german prisoner of war camp.
From capital to marxs philosophy 11 louis althusser glossary 309 with index as separate file index 325. Article information, pdf download for gender overdetermination and. Contradiction and overdetermination althusser pdf at present, althussers philosophy as a whole is undergoing a contradiction, uneven development, and overdetermination is that of the. The piece is, in fact, an extract from a much longer book, on the. French philosopher louis althussers 19181990 concept of overdetermination is a complex, multifaceted, and structural model of causality. Key arguments in louis althussers ideology and ideological state apparatuses the capitalist state requires not only a realistic mechanistic means of reproducing goods machinery and workers to operate it, but also a reliable means of reproducing the labourpower that produces the goods. Both of these serve to keep the capitalist ruling class bourgeoisie in power. But althussers use of overdetermination has an aspect which is entirely foreign to freud.
A rare exception was his april 1980 appearance on the italian radio television rai program multimedia encyclopaedia of the philosophical sciences. Andsoitwouldfollowthatatleast one sort of overdetermination is indeed everywhere. In althusser the need for a concept of overdetermination appears in marxism at the point where the ideology of simple and general contradictions is undermined. Louis althusser, contradiction and overdetermination, nlr i41. French philosopher louis althussers 19181990 concept of overdetermination is a complex. He taught philosophy for many years at the ecole n ormale superieure in paris and was a. In this paper althussers concept of overdetermination is examined from two distinct but related perspectives. First published in 1970, it advances althussers theory of ideology. In an article devoted to the young marx, i have already stressed the ambiguity of the idea of inverting hegel.
Louis althusser on interpellation, and the ideological. Louis al thusser was born in algeria in 1918 and died in france in 1990. Reexamining classic writings on overdetermination by louis althusser. Louis althussers renowned short text ideology and ideological state apparatuses radically transformed the concept of the subject, the understanding of the state and even the very frameworks of cultural, political and literary theory. Althusser, given the very nature of his project and intervention intervenconjunctures, formalization looks almost impossible. In philosophy of mind, the famous case of overdetermination is called. For together with spinoza and marx, machiavelli was a veritable althusserian passion. Re examining classic writings on overdetermination by louis althusser. The event has to it, in capitalist culture, an overapplication determination of agitation. Inlight of overdetermination 1 joyoung shin 2 contents introduction althussers overdetermination marxs epistemological break the process of knowledgeproduction althussers overdeterministmarxism conclusion i. A milestone in postwar marxist thought, containing althussers influential arguments on the epistemological break and anti. Louis althusser ideology and ideological state apparatus. For marx radical thinkers louis althusser download.
Althussers response is that there is no final analysis except that which remains, by definition, on the other side of history and that. I will argue that the whole of althussers theory is made up of the following elements. Louis pierre althusser 19181990 was a french marxist philosopher. With the exception of nietzsche, no other madman has contributed so much to human sanity as has louis althusser. Radical thinkers classic editions is a selection of versos leading titles, celebrating forty years of new left books and verso. Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your universitys proxy server configure custom proxy use this if your affiliation does not provide a proxy. Althusser wanted to understand why we tend to feel free, though we are constrained by our. Machiavelli and us louis althusser, francois matheron.
Louis althussers ideology and ideological state apparatuses. An instance of a popular riot calling for revolution could exemplify overdetermination. Jun 14, 2019 amaryl lids to download pdf you need some things, like my website and the name of the file. An interview with louis althusser louis althusser did not often given television interviews. He was born in algeria and studied at the ecole normale superieure in paris, where he eventually became professor of philosophy. Andsoitwouldfollowthatatleast one sort of overdetermination. Revisiting resnick and wolffs reading of overdetermination. Louis althusser, contradiction and overdetermination platypus. The role of education louis althusser 1971 marxists see the state as the means by which the capitalist ruling class maintain their dominant position.
He is mentioned twice in the encyclopaedia britannica as someones teacher. Althussers work constitutes a decisive moment in the problem of ideology by conceptualizing it as a universal element of society operating on its own materiality. It is no longer a matter of a general inversion of hegel, i. The marxist philosopher louis althusser imported the concept into marxist political theory in an. Louis althusser, contradiction and overdetermination, nlr. For althusser overdetermination of a contradiction is the reflection in it of its conditions of existence within the complex whole. Overdetermination althusser versus resnick and wolff free download as pdf file.
Louis althusser on interpellation, and the ideological state apparatus. Contradiction and overdetermination althusser pdf at present, althusser s philosophy as a whole is undergoing a contradiction, uneven development, and overdetermination is that of the. French philosopher louis althusser s 19181990 concept of overdetermination is a complex, multifaceted, and structural model of causality. On althusser, ideology and ideological state apparatuses. While he still viewed ideology as inescapable, he also came to argue that it is realized in real. I am not particularly taken by this term overdetermination borrowed from other disciplines, but i shall use it in the absence of anything better, both as an index and as a problem, and also because it enables us to see clearly why we are dealing with something quite different from the hegelian contradiction.
French philosopher louis althussers 19181990 concept of overdetermination is a complex, multifaceted, and structural model. Baixe no formato pdf, txt ou leia online no scribd. Based upon the concept of overdetermination introduced into marxian analysis mainly by louis althusser, the main conclusion being drawn is that the monetaryreal nexus in circulation of commodities described by marx can be conceived as an overdetermined nexus, which means that a regime of very mutual constitutivity prevails between the monetary. Louis pierre althusser was a french marxist philosopher. Thus overdetermination is used to refer to multiple causality or for instance in freud a hysterical symptom or in althusser a revolutionary situation or just the. Louis althusser how texts create an ideal reader the persuasive aspects of all kinds of texts are what fascinated althusser.
At present, althusser s philosophy as a whole is undergoing a contradiction, uneven development, and overdetermination is that of the. Ideology and ideological state apparatuses wikipedia. Louis althussers use of overdetermination are merely apparent and. Given that the twolevels case is far more widespread than the tworocks case, all that would follow would be that some overdetermination cases are farmorewidespreadthanothers. More precisely, it is intended to evaluate to what extent, if any, some aspects of marxs discussion on the contradictory role played by money in the process of simple circulation of commodities can be seen as supporting an overdetenninistic interpretation of marxs. Louis althussers use of overdetermination are merely apparent and that, on the. The unevenness of capitalist development led, via the war, to the russian revolution because in the revolutionary situation facing the whole of humanity russia was the overdeterminahion link in the chain of imperialist states. Interventionism and the overdetermination argument. Louis althusser in continental philosophy categorize this paper options edit this record. Introduction althusseroncesuggestedinhis readingcapitalalthusserandbalibar. The event has to it, in capitalist culture, an overapplication determination of. Althusser definition of althusser by the free dictionary.
Hailing from alsace on his fathers side of the family, his grandparents were pieds noirs, or french citizens who had chosen to settle in algeria. Althusser s text makes some readers want to burn books or at least throw them againt the wall. At present, althusser s philosophy as a whole is undergoing a critical is closely related to the idea of overdetermination or the theory that. Althussers pioneering concept of ideological state apparatuses is extended to the unique role of consumerism as a particular ideology. These are not applicable to this passage in the english translation by moore and aveling.
In the original french text of reading capital, quotations louis althusser etienne balibar reading capital part 1 translators note 6 foreword to the italian edition 7 part i. Althusser synonyms, althusser pronunciation, althusser translation, english dictionary definition of althusser. This second way of using overdetermination comes closest to althussers use of the notion. History, for althusser, is a process without a subject. Overdetermination althusser versus resnick and wolff. Louis althusser on interpellation, and the ideological state. Althussers text makes some readers want to burn books or at least throw them againt the wall. Althusser contradiction and over determination free download as pdf file. Taking young marx as an example, in the article referred to above, i suggested that to take over the dialectic in rigorous hegelian form could only expose us to dangerous ambiguities, for it is impossible, given the principles of a marxist interpretation of any ideological phenomenon, to conceive of the place of the dialectic in hegels system as that of a kernel in.
Louis althusser, contradiction and overdetermination philpapers. Pdf more than a quarter of a century after louis althussers heyday, one wonders how this rather troubled french. Ideologie et appareils ideologiques detat notes pour une recherche is an essay by the french marxist philosopher louis althusser. For marx, first published in france in 1968, has come to be regarded as the founding text of the school of structuralist marxism which was presided over by the fascinating and enigmatic figure of louis althusser. Catalogao fmte na sindiatonacioul dr editoresde liuos, ri. The text has influenced thinkers such as judith butler, ernesto laclau and slavoj zizek. Sep 25, 2016 louis althussers renowned short text ideology and ideological state apparatuses radically transformed the concept of the subject, the understanding of the state and even the very frameworks of cultural, political and literary theory. Thls paper deals with the generic and abstract analyses of money set forth by marx at the beginning of capital. Louis althusser, contradiction and overdetermination, nlr i. I demonstrate the overall structure of louis althussers original theory of overdeterminat. Althusser was a longtime memberalthough sometimes a strong criticof.
Louis althusser was born on october 16 th, 1918 in birmandreis, a suburb of algiers. This question is directly tied to the concept of overdetermination to which. Louis althusser, french philosopher who attained international renown in the 1960s for his attempt to fuse marxism and structuralism. Hardback and embossed with foil, these are essential new editions of the highlights from four decades of uncompromising, radical publishing. Louis etienne balibar reading capital cesar mangolin. Althussers pioneering concept of ideological state apparatuses is extended to the unique role of consumerism as a particular ideology enabling and supporting u.
This article explores the notion of gender overdetermination in relation to a. This is althussers clarification of the classical marxist assertion that the superstructure q. Overdetermination occurs when a singleobserved effect is determined by multiple causes, any. Althusser contradiction and over determination louis althusser.
How can you combine marxism, which relies on socialhistorical analysis, with structuralism, which relies on ahistoricalasocial analysis. In contrast to the idea that simple internal contradictions within a system or social formation produce effects, overdetermination proposes that revolutionary. Structure and conjuncture literary study and the return to althusser. Also an institutional framework of althusserian studies or althusserian society is equally unimaginable one only has to think of overdetermination and such a school would immediately be dissolved. Pdf revisiting resnick and wolffs reading of overdetermination. Louis al thusser was born in algeria in 1918 and died in. This major voice in french philosophy presents a classic study of how particular political and cultural ideas come to dominate society. Althusser and the problem of historical individuality.
His father, charlesjoseph althusser, was a lieutenant officer in the french army and a bank clerk, while his mother, lucienne marthe berger, a devout roman catholic, worked as a schoolteacher. Louis althusser, francois matheron, gregory elliott though only appearing as an occasional reference in the marxist philosophers oeuvre, machiavelli was an unseen constant presence. Althusser was born in french algeria in the town of birmendreis, near algiers, to a piednoir petitbourgeois family from alsace, france. The official assigned section of reading for unit 1 on ideologyis embedded in the longer essay ideology and ideological state apparatuses. What remains absent in althussers work is an actual demonstration of how these concepts function together. More than a quarter of a century after louis althussers heyday, one wonders how this rather troubled french professor managed to create such a buzz with the publication of only two books. Louis pierre althusser 19181990 was a french marxist philosopher who wrote in the wake of nikita khrushchevs denunciation of joseph stalin and the soviet unions brutal suppression of the hungarian revolution of. But with his publication of lenin and philosophy and other essays in 1970, althusser drastically changed his position on ideology.
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