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The ideological state apparatus (ISA) is a concept formulated by Louis Althusser as a part of his structuralist reinterpretation of Marxism. This term refers to various institutions and mechanisms that contribute to the reproduction of the conditions of production within a capitalist society by generating ideology.
Overview
According to Althusser, an ideological state apparatus is distinct from what he terms the repressive state apparatus (RSA). While the latter comprises the government, administration, military, police, courts, and prisons, which function primarily by violence or the threat of violence, the former operates on the level of ideology[1].
ISAs include institutions such as the education system, the family, the church, the media, the cultural sphere, and so forth. These institutions play a key role in maintaining and reproducing social relations of production by shaping people's beliefs, attitudes, and values in a way that normalizes and legitimizes the existing social order, including the dominant mode of production within the social formation.
Functioning
Each ISA contributes to the production of ideology in its own way, as a complex interrelated structure of ideological reproduction. For example, the education system is seen by Althusser as the primary ISA in capitalist societies, as it is where individuals are taught the values, attitudes, and beliefs that encourage conformity to the capitalist social order.
The family is another ISA which plays a crucial role in shaping a child's initial worldview, installing the primary understanding of authority, hierarchy, and norms. Similarly, the media and cultural sphere generate ideology through representation and the shaping of public discourse.
Althusser further posits that ISAs have "relative autonomy", which means that while they are part of the broader social formation and influenced by the economic base, they are not mechanically determined by it, and are able exert their own influence on social relations.
It can be argued that in the modern day, mainstream social media is one of the primary ISAs.