Week 3 Questions (Pleming)

1. I found Althusser's essay on ideology compelling, but some things remain unclear to me. Specifically: the relationship of ideas to action. While he argues it is not an inversion, Althusser inverts the common relationship between ideas and actions. Arguing that there is not an ideal realm for ideas that then inspire action, but that our ideas are inscribed in our actions. Ideology, then, becomes real through practice. My point/question is: Doesn't this formulation preclude the introduction of new ideologies? If actions, not ideas, are the basis of ideology, how can we act in new ways without the introduction of new ideas? How can we act in new ways if ideas do not inspire our actions?

It's highly likely I'm just missing a piece of the argument here, so I'm looking forward to hearing other thoughts.

2. I wanted to highlight the conclusion of Hall's piece on Marxism as a useful, generative piece. I thought that Hall was able to preserve the Marxist focus on economics as a determinate historical factor, while dispensing with any ideas of pre-ordainment. This piece was a helpful analysis of Marxism for my work as a scholar and, more broadly, is a reminder to see theory as something open to revision rather than as dogma.