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The Gold and the Dross
Althusser for Educators
Series: - Brill Guides to Scholarship in Education, Volume: 1
Author:
In the last decade, there has been an international resurgence of interest in the philosophy of Louis Althusser. New essays, journalism, collections, secondary literature, and even manuscripts by Althusser himself are emerging, speaking in fresh ways to audiences of theorists and activists. Althusser is especially important in educational thought, as he famously claimed that school is the most impactful ideological state apparatus in modern society. This insight inspired a generation of educational researchers, but Althusserâs philosophyâunique in a number of ways, one of which was its emphasis on educationâlargely lost popularity.
Despite this resurgence of interest, and while Althusserâs philosophy is important for educators and activists to know about, it remains difficult to understand. The Gold and the Dross: Althusser for Educators, with succinct prose and a creative organization, introduces readers to Althusserâs thinking. Intended for those who have never encountered Althusserâs theory before, and even those who are new to philosophy and critical theory in general, the book elaborates the basic tenets of Althusserâs philosophy using examples and personal stories juxtaposed with selected passages of Althusserâs writing. Starting with a beginnerâs guide to interpellation and Althusserâs concept of ideology, the book continues by elaborating the epistemology and ontology Althusser produced, and concludes with his concepts of society and science. The Gold and the Dross makes Althusserâs philosophy more available to contemporary audiences of educators and activists.
Despite this resurgence of interest, and while Althusserâs philosophy is important for educators and activists to know about, it remains difficult to understand. The Gold and the Dross: Althusser for Educators, with succinct prose and a creative organization, introduces readers to Althusserâs thinking. Intended for those who have never encountered Althusserâs theory before, and even those who are new to philosophy and critical theory in general, the book elaborates the basic tenets of Althusserâs philosophy using examples and personal stories juxtaposed with selected passages of Althusserâs writing. Starting with a beginnerâs guide to interpellation and Althusserâs concept of ideology, the book continues by elaborating the epistemology and ontology Althusser produced, and concludes with his concepts of society and science. The Gold and the Dross makes Althusserâs philosophy more available to contemporary audiences of educators and activists.
David I. Backer, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, is an assistant professor of Social and Cultural Foundations of Education. His work on school in its social context can be found in Harvard Educational Review, Educational Theory, Issues in Teacher Education and elsewhere. Based in Philadelphia, he is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Acknowledgements
Introduction
âGeneral Plan and Purpose of This Book
âAlthusserâs Context
âAlthusserâs Life
âAuthorâs Context
âNote on Passages
1 A Beginnerâs Guide to Interpellation
âGetting in Trouble
âAt School
âGet with the Program
âNot Anything Impactful
âI Donât Remember What I Learned in School
âTesting
âWhere Did My Friends Go?
âFalling in Love
âIs Interpellation Passive?
âIdeology = Imagined Relations to Real Conditions
âWings
âRace and Gender
âReproduction
âConsent
âIndividuality
âImages
âBeing Guided
âInterpellation Machine
âIntersectionality
âCounter-Interpellation
âA Grain of Sand
âHut
âA Play
âOur Society: Capitalism and Democracy
2 The Law of Dislocation
âConcrete-Real vs. Concrete-in-Thought
âSnakes, Ropes, and Concepts
âThe Gold and the Dross
âStraying from Dislocation: Empiricism and Surplus Value
âPetty, Laplace, and Capital Vol. 1
âLeaves, Monads, and Other Simple Internal Essences
âShades of Hegel
âExpressivism: (Dig Here)
âHuman Nature
âConcepts behind âWordsâ
âA Theory of Reading: Listening to Silence
3 The Law of Uneven Development
âEvery Thing Is a Mess
âThe dsa
âTheory of Combination
âTheory of Formation
âTheory of Relative Autonomy
âTheory of Determination
âThe Wrong Side of History
âAcorns
âTeleology on the Train
âConcepts of Structure: Captain Planet vs. Voltron
âThe Two Laws: Three Reflections
4 Theory of Social Formations
âGeology as Analogy for Society
âForces, Elements, and Variations in Society: Overview
âEconomic Region
âIdeological Region
âCulture and Agency
âRepressive Region
âThanksgiving
âThe Three Social Forces: Productive, Reproductive, Repressive
âThe Hut and the Theater
âNaked Capitalism
âHome Ownership
âFreedom
âAn Allegory for Social Structure
âIn the Last Instance: Theory of Moveable Types
5 Conclusion: Ideology, Truth, Science
âAmbivalence
âTruth as Correctness
âGold
âScience as Sweet Science
Afterword: Studying the Dross
âTyson E. Lewis
References
Index
Introduction
âGeneral Plan and Purpose of This Book
âAlthusserâs Context
âAlthusserâs Life
âAuthorâs Context
âNote on Passages
1 A Beginnerâs Guide to Interpellation
âGetting in Trouble
âAt School
âGet with the Program
âNot Anything Impactful
âI Donât Remember What I Learned in School
âTesting
âWhere Did My Friends Go?
âFalling in Love
âIs Interpellation Passive?
âIdeology = Imagined Relations to Real Conditions
âWings
âRace and Gender
âReproduction
âConsent
âIndividuality
âImages
âBeing Guided
âInterpellation Machine
âIntersectionality
âCounter-Interpellation
âA Grain of Sand
âHut
âA Play
âOur Society: Capitalism and Democracy
2 The Law of Dislocation
âConcrete-Real vs. Concrete-in-Thought
âSnakes, Ropes, and Concepts
âThe Gold and the Dross
âStraying from Dislocation: Empiricism and Surplus Value
âPetty, Laplace, and Capital Vol. 1
âLeaves, Monads, and Other Simple Internal Essences
âShades of Hegel
âExpressivism: (Dig Here)
âHuman Nature
âConcepts behind âWordsâ
âA Theory of Reading: Listening to Silence
3 The Law of Uneven Development
âEvery Thing Is a Mess
âThe dsa
âTheory of Combination
âTheory of Formation
âTheory of Relative Autonomy
âTheory of Determination
âThe Wrong Side of History
âAcorns
âTeleology on the Train
âConcepts of Structure: Captain Planet vs. Voltron
âThe Two Laws: Three Reflections
4 Theory of Social Formations
âGeology as Analogy for Society
âForces, Elements, and Variations in Society: Overview
âEconomic Region
âIdeological Region
âCulture and Agency
âRepressive Region
âThanksgiving
âThe Three Social Forces: Productive, Reproductive, Repressive
âThe Hut and the Theater
âNaked Capitalism
âHome Ownership
âFreedom
âAn Allegory for Social Structure
âIn the Last Instance: Theory of Moveable Types
5 Conclusion: Ideology, Truth, Science
âAmbivalence
âTruth as Correctness
âGold
âScience as Sweet Science
Afterword: Studying the Dross
âTyson E. Lewis
References
Index
Those interested in critical theory, critical pedagogy, and becoming familiar with Louis Althusserâs philosophy.