Ideology

• An ideology is a set of beliefs and values that are usually centred around a core principle, essentially the same as a “belief system”
• ideology refers to a set of values that serve the interests of the dominant group by justifying their position of privilege in society
• marxism & ideology

  • the bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat
  • it is in the interest of the proletariat to dismantle the capitalistic system via a socialist revolution, replacing it with a classless, communist society
  • to do so, the proletariat must first attain class consciousness, self-awareness in that they are infact being leveraged
• the ruling-class ideology

  • they have the power and influence to impose their cultural hegemony through institutions such as the media, education, religion etc.
  • believe that the notion of “equality” goes against human nature
• Gramsci & Hegemony

  • hegemony is described as a system of class alliance in which a “hegemonic class“ is able to exert cultural influence and political leadership over a subaltern class, by essentially winning them over
  • in essence, hegemony is ideological dominance that the bourgeoisie have over the masses
  • the proletariat have dual-consciousness, and so may be able to develop ideas to challenge the status quo
• Gomm argues that a time when science has been used as part of an ideology that served the needs of a powerful group was in the 19th century, when the British Empire used Darwin’s “Theory of Evolution” as a theoretical foundation to justify their imperialism and racist ideologies, i.e using the theory of natural selection to give grounds for the dehumanisation of African people
• Leach highlights that whereas slavery was previously opposed in Southern parts of America in the 19th century, Protestant clergyman began to defend their institution, invoking that there was a Christian hierarchy in which slaves were bound to obey their masters
• • the science of Eugenics was weaponised by the Nazi’s as a justification for the neutralisation of those they deemed as “unfit“ to reproduce
  • Murray advances this idea, using the science of eugenics as a means of justifying his view on the working-class being more prone to social dysfunctions such as high crime rates, poverty, etc.
• where religions relies on a belief in the supernatural and an unwillingness to challenge their own views, ideology zeroes in on the interests of a particular group
• religion in itself is not ideological, however it may share overlaps with powerful social groups who may use it to legitimate their claims to power and control, eg. Fundamentalists, Islamic extremists, etc.
• religion as an ideology

  • religion can be described as a set of values and beliefs about the world
  • in some countries like Iran and Saudia Arabia, religion is the central belief system which the legal system and other institutions depend on
• religion and ideologies are generally regarded as closed belief systems, they are not open to questioning and alternative interpretations, but instead claim to hold a monopoly of truth
• religion used IN other ideologies

  • feminists view religion as being centred around male dominance & perpetuating sexist ideals
  • marxists believe that religion cushion the pain of oppression & mitigates the chances of revolt
  • Medieval and Tudor monarchs used religion to justify their power, proclaiming that they had a “ Divine right to rule”
  • the Indian Caste system in Hinduism teaches that the rigid hierarchy was based on the religious belief in karma, religion justified the inequalities experienced by some
• ideology (negative description)

  • ideas that seek to support and promote the interests of a particular group in society
  • can spread distorted or misleading ideas about society
  • presents only a partial, one-dimensional or false commentary on society
• Mannheim & Utopia

  • views all belief systems as reflective of the experiences of one particular social group
  • he identified 2 types of belief systems, IDEOLOGICAL thought which justifies tradition and the maintenance of the status quo, therefore resisting social change, and UTOPIAN thought, which strives for social change
  • he believed that we needed to create a “total” worldview by detaching from intellectuals who caused conflict, and instead create a free floating intelligentsia
• Mannheim claimed that different intellectuals who created these world views would produce opposing ideas that justified their social group’s interests against others
• Oakley

  • Oakley argues that ideologies such as science and religion have exacerbated the workings of the patriarchy for generations
  • she highlights Bowlby’s quintessential study of maternal deprivation as an example of how science can act as an ideology
  • she suggests that his idea that children’s development is compromised by their mothers being in employment has given rise to inequality in the workplace, and subsequently pressured women into upholding the patriarchal notion that they must stay at home, and allow the man to be the breadwinner
• evaluation of marxism

  • it operates through a one-dimensional lens that only zeroes in on conflict between social classes, disregarding other dysfunctions in society
• • nationalism, the devotion and allegiance to one’s nation, is argued to be a belief system
  • Bellah labelled this is a civil religion, as he found that it performed similar functions to that of a conventional religion
• Gellner & nationalism

  • with the industrial revolution and the emergence of a complex division of labour came a need for a nation state and its bureaucratic systems to organise and direct it
  • education is used as a mechanism to create a sense of unity on a large scale
• Gellner evaluation

  • the longing for national identity some people harbour precedes the industrial revolution, some ethnic groups have operated like nations in previous periods, such as Jewish communties which date back to 2000 years. Likewise, the Palestinians in Israel also claim their origins in a longer historical timeframe, and that they have been displaced with formation of modern Israel in 1948