Louis Althusser was a prominent French Marxist philosopher known for his influential ideas on ideology and its role within society. He argued that ideology shapes how individuals perceive and understand their world, functioning as a framework through which people interpret their experiences. Althusser proposed that rather than being a mere consciousness reflection of material conditions, ideology has a material existence that influences social practices and structures. His notion of "interpellation," where individuals recognize themselves through ideological frameworks, highlighted the complex relationship between individuals and societal structures.
Althusser's work challenges traditional Marxist views by emphasizing the importance of social institutions, such as schools and churches, in the reproduction of ideology. He believed that these institutions play a crucial role in ensuring the continued dominance of a ruling ideology, thus perpetuating existing power relations. By focusing on the mechanics of ideology, he shifted the discourse on how power operates within society, drawing attention to the subtle ways in which individuals are shaped by external structures.