How is culture seen as ideology.pdf

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How is culture seen as ideology? 
 
The key Marxist concept with which to understand the culture control 
by ‘ruling ideas’ is ideology. Culture is seen to contain a ruling-class 
ideology that is socialized into the consciousness of the individuals 
living in a society. In order to define ‘ideology’ we shall look at two 
sociologists’ consideration of the term: 
The particular conception of ideology 
is implied when the term denotes that 
we are skeptical of the ideas and 
representations advanced by our 
opponent. They are regarded as more 
or less conscious disguises of the real 
nature of a situation, the true 
recognition of which would not be in 
accord with his interests (Mannheim, 
1960). 
In this view ideology consists of ideas that are purposefully incorrect. 
These ideas are used by their formulators to control others. Ideology is 
thus deliberately created by the powerful to ensure their continuing 
domination through the manipulation of others by means of false ideas: 
By ideology I mean the mental 
frameworks- the languages, the 
concepts, categories, imagery of 
thought, and the systems of 
representation- which different classes 
and social groups deploy in order to 
make sense of, define, figure out and 
render intelligible the way society 
works…the theory of ideology helps us 
to analyze how a particular set of 
ideas comes to dominate the social 
thinking of a historical bloc… and 
 
 
maintain its dominance and leadership 
over society as a whole. It has 
especially to do with the concepts and 
the languages of practical thought 
which stabilize a particular form of 
power and domination (Hall, 1996) 
In this view, different groups (the powerful and the powerless) have 
their own ideologies- their own world views- and the battle between 
these ideologies is a struggle for power. An ideology 
 
 
becomes dominant throughout society, gives people a language and 
rules, which they use to understand the world around them. Hence 
ideological struggle is a struggle over the ‘correct’ way to think.