Althusser, Louis 1918- .
French philosopher and Marxist, born in
Algeria, who argued that the idea that
economic systems determine family and
political systems is too simple. He attempted
to show how the ruling class ideology of a
particular era is a crucial form of class
control. Althusser divides each mode of
production into four key elements - the
economic, political, ideological, and
theoretical - all of which interact. His
structuralist analysis of capitalism sees
individuals and groups as agents or bearers
of the structures of social relations, rather
than as independent influences on history.
His works include For Marx 1965, Lenin and
Philosophy 1969, and Essays in Self-Criticism
1976. He dismisses mainstream sociology as
bourgeois and has influenced thinkers in
fields as diverse as social anthropology,
literature, and history.