ideology

• ideology

  A one-sided world view, legitimates interests and creates a false-class consciousness.
• what do ideologies do?

  -provide a vision

  -present a partial, false view of reality

  -express & legitimise the interests of a social/political group
• Mannheim

  -different types of ideologies: partial & total ideologies

  -at the time of research, he said all ideologies were partial

  -ideological thought: justifies keeping things the same, looks at the interests of privileged groups. Conservative & favour hierarchy. Functionalism & new right

  -utopian thought: justifies social change, looks at the interests of underprivileged. Marxism & feminism.

  -Mannheim said we should not have partial views, we should have a total world view.

  -free-floating intelligentsia: should work in the interests of everyone instead of focusing on one ideology. Detach ourselves from our experiences.
• feminism: patriarchal ideology

  -this ideology justifies & maintains male dominance, makes this dominance seem normal.

  -seen in science & religion: legitimates gender inequalities.

  -Pauline Marks (1979): women are excluded.
• pluralist ideology

  -there is no person/group with power, there is not a single, dominant ideology.

  -different social groups have different ideologies, all have their own way of interpreting the social world.

  -ideologies cannot dominate others - ideas in society reflect interests of social groups.

  -HOWEVER, ignores that unequal power exists so some ideologies do dominate society.
• political ideology

  -analyses & interprets how society should work. Suggests how power should be used to help create change via social policy.

  -is too broad e.g., nationalism.
• marxism: dominant ideology & hegemony

  -institutions e.g., religion produce ruling class ideology & help maintain capitalist hegemony.

  -Mannheim (1985): dominant ideology conceals the inequalities in capitalist society.

  -distorts reality; justifies inequalities.

  -Bowles & Gintis: meritocracy - states that poor people are poor because of their actions, not capitalism. Is concealing the inequalities. -Althusser: religion is an ideological state apparatus that maintains dominant ideology
• nationalism ideology

  -Durkheim: nationalism is a form of religion as it functions like other religions do.

  -has been criticised for changing the definition to account for beliefs that have no supernatural element. Doesn't answer ultimate questions.
• Bellah:

  • civil religion acts as any other religion & links to nationalism
  • civil religion united people through shared beliefs, rituals & experiences
  • example: singing the national anthem
  • civil religion is ideological as it suggests that these values are shared & unite people - is a form of ideological control