Editing Louis Althusser

'''Louis Althusser''' (20 October 1918 – 22 October 1990) was a French [[Marxist-Leninist]] philosopher known for his anti-[[humanism]] and defense of "orthodox" Marxism-Leninism against [[revisionist]] and [[Eurocommunist]] trends of his era. He is specifically known for his theory of [[Ideology (Althusser)|ideology]] and [[Interpellation (Althusser)|ideological interpellation]], as well as the [[social formation]] and reinterpretation of the [[dialectical]] relationship between [[base and superstructure]]. 

Althusser, in line with Marxist-Leninist thought, upheld the primacy of class struggle and the necessity of a vanguard party. However, he also critiqued certain aspects of established Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy. His approach sought to rigorously systematize Marx's thought and reject interpretations that he deemed unfaithful to Marx's original insights.

== Notable works ==
Althusser's works include ''For Marx'' (1965) and ''Reading Capital'' (1965), both of which sought to revitalise Marxist theory at a time when it was under critique from various [[revisionist]] currents. Althusser took specific issue with the so-called 'humanist' interpretations of Marx, arguing that they stripped Marx's theory of its [[scientific socialism|scientific]], rational core.

Althusser's writings served as a bulwark against revisionist currents in his era, notably those that downplayed the role of class struggle or denied the necessity of the [[vanguard party]] and [[dictatorship of the proletariat]]. He particularly took issue with the trend of [[Eurocommunism]], whicht sought to distance itself from the Soviet Union and the core principles of Marxism-Leninism.

== Key contributions ==

Althusser's theoretical contributions are primarily centered around a theory of [[Ideology (Althusser)|ideology and ideological state apparatuses]]<ref>https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1970/ideology.htm</ref>. Althusser posited that ideology is a 'material' force insofar as it is embodied in institutions and practices that reproduce the conditions of production. His concept of [[Interpellation (Althusser)|interpellation]] describes how individuals are constituted as subjects through ideological practices and thus influenced by the [[ideological state apparatus]].

His idea of [[overdetermination]] challenged the unidirectional base-superstructure model, suggesting instead that various instances (economic, political, ideological) within a social formation are interconnected and mutually influencing. While he stated that the base was dominant over the superstructure "in the final instance", his work provided the insight that in smaller ways, the superstructure and its ideological institutions may also influence the base<ref>https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1965/index.htm</ref>.

[[Category:Communists]] [[Category:Marxists]] [[Category:Marxist theorists]]