Editing Louis Althusser

{{Infobox person|name=Louis Althusser|image=Althusser.png|birth_date=16 October 1918|birth_place=Bir Mourad Raïs, [[Algeria]]|death_date=22 October 1990|death_place=Paris, [[France]]|nationality=French|image_size=150|known=Theory of [[ideology]]<br>Concept of the [[social formation]]<br>''[[For Marx]]'' (1965)<br>''[[Reading Capital]]'' (1965)}}
'''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 the extreme [[revisionist]] trends of his time.  

He is most well-known for his contributions to the Marxist theory of [[ideology]], wherein he reinterpreted the [[dialectical]] relationship between [[base and superstructure]] as a more complex model where, similar to [[Antonio Gramsci]], he identified both physical repression and ideological reproduction as fundamental facets of maintaining [[class dictatorship]] . 

== 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 tendencies of his era, notably those that downplayed the role of [[class struggle]], and/or denied the necessity of the [[vanguard party]] and [[dictatorship of the proletariat]]. He particularly took issue with the trend of [[Eurocommunism]], which sought to distance itself from the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922–1991)|Soviet Union]] and the core principles of Marxism-Leninism.

== Key contributions ==

Althusser's theoretical contributions are primarily centered around a theory of [[ideology]] and [[ideological state apparatus|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>

== References ==
[[Category:Communists]] [[Category:Marxists]] [[Category:Marxist theorists]]
@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 '''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 the extreme [[revisionist]] trends of his time.
-He is most well-known for his contributions to the Marxist theory of [[ideology]], wherein he reinterpreted the [[dialectical]] relationship between [[base and superstructure]] as a more complex model where, similar to [[Antonio Gramsci]], he identified both physical repression and ideological reproduction as fundamental tools by which the [[ruling class]] maintains its hold on [[class society]].
+He is most well-known for his contributions to the Marxist theory of [[ideology]], wherein he reinterpreted the [[dialectical]] relationship between [[base and superstructure]] as a more complex model where, similar to [[Antonio Gramsci]], he identified both physical repression and ideological reproduction as fundamental facets of maintaining [[class dictatorship]] .
-== Personal life ==
-Althusser suffered from various extreme mental illnesses throughout his life, including depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In a bout of hallucinatory melancholy, he killed his wife by strangulation in 1980, which he subsequently described as "the greatest crime" committed "during crisis of mental confusion". Althusser subsequently spent the last 10 years of his life institutionalized in various psychiatric hospitals until he eventually died of pneumonia in 1990.
 == Notable works ==
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 == References ==
 [[Category:Communists]] [[Category:Marxists]] [[Category:Marxist theorists]]
-<references />
-[[Category:Marxist philosophers]]
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