The Gold and the Dross
Althusser for Educators
Published on 7. February 2019
Book
Hardback
100 pages
978-90-04-39125-3 (ISBN)
Description
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 Althusser's philosophy-unique in a number of ways, one of which was its emphasis on education-largely lost popularity.
Despite this resurgence of interest, and while Althusser's 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 Althusser's thinking. Intended for those who have never encountered Althusser's theory before, and even those who are new to philosophy and critical theory in general, the book elaborates the basic tenets of Althusser's philosophy using examples and personal stories juxtaposed with selected passages of Althusser's writing. Starting with a beginner's guide to interpellation and Althusser's 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 Althusser's philosophy more available to contemporary audiences of educators and activists.
Despite this resurgence of interest, and while Althusser's 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 Althusser's thinking. Intended for those who have never encountered Althusser's theory before, and even those who are new to philosophy and critical theory in general, the book elaborates the basic tenets of Althusser's philosophy using examples and personal stories juxtaposed with selected passages of Althusser's writing. Starting with a beginner's guide to interpellation and Althusser's 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 Althusser's philosophy more available to contemporary audiences of educators and activists.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
295 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-39125-3 (9789004391253)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
02/2019
Brill
€56.00
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
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.
Content
Acknowledgements
Introduction
?General Plan and Purpose of This Book
?Althusser's Context
?Althusser's Life
?Author's Context
?Note on Passages
1 A Beginner's Guide to Interpellation
?Getting in Trouble
?At School
?Get with the Program
?Not Anything Impactful
?I Don't Remember What I Learned in School
?Testing
?Where Did My Friends Go?
?Falling in Love
?Is Interpellation Passive?
?Ideology = Imagined Relations to Real Conditions
?Wings
?Race and Gender
?Reproduction
?Consent
?Individuality
?Images
?Being Guided
?Interpellation Machine
?Intersectionality
?Counter-Interpellation
?A Grain of Sand
?Hut
?A Play
?Our Society: Capitalism and Democracy
2 The Law of Dislocation
?Concrete-Real vs. Concrete-in-Thought
?Snakes, Ropes, and Concepts
?The Gold and the Dross
?Straying from Dislocation: Empiricism and Surplus Value
?Petty, Laplace, and Capital Vol. 1
?Leaves, Monads, and Other Simple Internal Essences
?Shades of Hegel
?Expressivism: (Dig Here)
?Human Nature
?Concepts behind 'Words'
?A Theory of Reading: Listening to Silence
3 The Law of Uneven Development
?Every Thing Is a Mess
?The dsa
?Theory of Combination
?Theory of Formation
?Theory of Relative Autonomy
?Theory of Determination
?The Wrong Side of History
?Acorns
?Teleology on the Train
?Concepts of Structure: Captain Planet vs. Voltron
?The Two Laws: Three Reflections
4 Theory of Social Formations
?Geology as Analogy for Society
?Forces, Elements, and Variations in Society: Overview
?Economic Region
?Ideological Region
?Culture and Agency
?Repressive Region
?Thanksgiving
?The Three Social Forces: Productive, Reproductive, Repressive
?The Hut and the Theater
?Naked Capitalism
?Home Ownership
?Freedom
?An Allegory for Social Structure
?In the Last Instance: Theory of Moveable Types
5 Conclusion: Ideology, Truth, Science
?Ambivalence
?Truth as Correctness
?Gold
?Science as Sweet Science
Afterword: Studying the Dross
?Tyson E. Lewis
References
Index
Introduction
?General Plan and Purpose of This Book
?Althusser's Context
?Althusser's Life
?Author's Context
?Note on Passages
1 A Beginner's Guide to Interpellation
?Getting in Trouble
?At School
?Get with the Program
?Not Anything Impactful
?I Don't Remember What I Learned in School
?Testing
?Where Did My Friends Go?
?Falling in Love
?Is Interpellation Passive?
?Ideology = Imagined Relations to Real Conditions
?Wings
?Race and Gender
?Reproduction
?Consent
?Individuality
?Images
?Being Guided
?Interpellation Machine
?Intersectionality
?Counter-Interpellation
?A Grain of Sand
?Hut
?A Play
?Our Society: Capitalism and Democracy
2 The Law of Dislocation
?Concrete-Real vs. Concrete-in-Thought
?Snakes, Ropes, and Concepts
?The Gold and the Dross
?Straying from Dislocation: Empiricism and Surplus Value
?Petty, Laplace, and Capital Vol. 1
?Leaves, Monads, and Other Simple Internal Essences
?Shades of Hegel
?Expressivism: (Dig Here)
?Human Nature
?Concepts behind 'Words'
?A Theory of Reading: Listening to Silence
3 The Law of Uneven Development
?Every Thing Is a Mess
?The dsa
?Theory of Combination
?Theory of Formation
?Theory of Relative Autonomy
?Theory of Determination
?The Wrong Side of History
?Acorns
?Teleology on the Train
?Concepts of Structure: Captain Planet vs. Voltron
?The Two Laws: Three Reflections
4 Theory of Social Formations
?Geology as Analogy for Society
?Forces, Elements, and Variations in Society: Overview
?Economic Region
?Ideological Region
?Culture and Agency
?Repressive Region
?Thanksgiving
?The Three Social Forces: Productive, Reproductive, Repressive
?The Hut and the Theater
?Naked Capitalism
?Home Ownership
?Freedom
?An Allegory for Social Structure
?In the Last Instance: Theory of Moveable Types
5 Conclusion: Ideology, Truth, Science
?Ambivalence
?Truth as Correctness
?Gold
?Science as Sweet Science
Afterword: Studying the Dross
?Tyson E. Lewis
References
Index