This thesis has examined several of the most recent
advances in the theory of ideology. These have developed
in the wake of the seminal work of the French Marxist
philosopher, Louis Althusser. They have attempted to continue
the insights found in Althusser's attack on empiricist
epistemoloqy and in his theory of the formation of human
subjectivity.
The central argument of this thesis is that the theory
of ideology, in terms of the "constitution of the subject",
is a valuable breakthrough which allows the concept of
ideology to be extended beyond its traditional (class)
parameters. However, the anti-empiricist epistemology which
has removed the object (ie. the material referent) from the
theory of ideology, has been a regressive step since it has
rendered the whole enterprise idealist. The standpoint of:
this thesis is a materialist one which forcefully maintains
that the real world is directly implicated in the knowledge
produced by social practices. Therefore, the theory of
ideology must include a concept of representations of that
real world if it is to be fully materialist.
This thesis does not explicitly present a materialist
theory of ideology. Instead, it examines the theoretical
principles of these recent advances and shows how they
ultimately degenerate into idealism at crucial points. The
thesis then employs some of my empirical interview material
and proceeds to show that the concrete application of these
theoretical principles also leads to idealist research
practices. The thesis concludes by suggesting that there
is, nevertheless, something of value in these recent
advances which a materialist research practice can incorporate.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219438 |
| Date | January 1982 |
| Creators | Watson, Ian, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Ian Watson |
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