In this article, Althuser paints a big picture on the functionality of ideology in society. Ideology establishes a certain mentality that is embedded in the minds of society in order to maintain the consistency of labor power generating the machine of production as a whole. Taking cue from Marxist ideology, the Ideological State Apparatus introduced by the corporations/institution (State) as tool to enforce their authority and ideals to maintain control over the production.
What I find interesting is the comparison the writer made with religion, especially the function of churches during feudal period. The church is the ideology institution that influences society’s daily lives. They represent ‘the state’ that has influences over politic, economy, and education using the religion (ideological state apparatus) as means of maintaining order without them being physically present. Their main objective is to maintain and preserve the production process in order to keep the cycle going. This very much the same methods adopted by corporations today. By taking over the role of the church, schools as their ideological institutions, is their resource for their production. In school, we are taught, trained and groomed for specific area in the work force. The mentality that is embedded is designed so that order is maintain within society (subject) as well as production. The state enforces but Ideological state apparatus governs. The same ideology is applied within the art community. Artist is the subject of the ideological State Apparatus.
In many ways belongs to the same production with corporations and museum acting as the states.
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