Editing Social formation

The '''social formation''' is a foundational concept developed by French [[Marxist-Leninist]] philosopher [[Louis Althusser]], to explain the complex structure of society within the Marxist framework. It originated from Althusser's reinterpretation of the [[dialectics]] of [[political economy]], in which he analyzed society not as a simple [[Base and superstructure|base-superstructure model]], but instead as a complex, dynamic totality of interrelated structures<ref>[https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1962/overdetermination.htm Althusser, "For Marx"; chapter 3, "Contradiction and Overdetermination"]</ref>.

Althusser introduced the concept of social formation in his essay "Contradiction and Overdetermination" in the 1962<ref>https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1962/overdetermination.htm</ref> (which would later be incorporated in a larger work, "For Marx"), as a means of characterizing the complexity and diversity of social relations within a given society. The term is designed to move beyond the traditional Marxist theory of base and superstructure, introducing a more nuanced understanding of the interrelation and interplay of economic, political and ideological structures.

A <nowiki>'''social formation'''</nowiki> refers to the specific combination of [[Mode of production|modes of production]] and the various 'superstructures' (legal, political and ideological instances) within a particular society. Rather than viewing these components in a unidirectional causal relationship – with the economic base always determining the superstructure – Althusser posits that these components exist in a complex interaction of 'relative autonomy', wherein each can influence the other (albeit with the base being "dominant in the final instance"<ref>[https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1963/unevenness.htm Part Six. On the Materialist Dialectic, On the Unevenness of Origins]</ref>).