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In “The Ruling Class and The Ruling Ideas,” “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses,” and “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Louis Althusser, and Walter Benjamin, respectively, provide insight on our introduction to ideology and culturalism.

What is the division of mental and material labour and how does it manifest in society?

What is the relationship between the state apparatus and the ideological state apparatuses?

The division of mental and material labour is the division of the ruling class and working class 

Marx and Engels discuss how material force equals intellectual force so the ruling class decides the material labour and assigns it to the working class who then carry it out while reaping little benefit of their labor 

What is the relationship between the state apparatus and the ideological state apparatuses?

State apparatus and ideological state apparatus are intertwined. The state apparatus is specifically the institutions through which society is governed. For example, the police and the legal system. Ideological state apparatus refers to the institutions through which society shapes their values and beliefs such as universities. 

How have the processes of reproducing works of art changed over time, and how have changes in reproduction altered the relationship between a piece of art and its “original” object?

The processes of reproducing works of art has changed over time in the sense that it has become more of a digital process over the years which affects the relationship between a piece of art and its “original” object because it takes it further from its original form. It calls into question the authenticity of the art because the reproduction is so far removed from the original. 

Marx, Karl. Marx and Engels Collected Works Volume 5: Marx and Engels 1845-47. Lawrence & Wishart Limited, 1976. 

Sharma, Aradhana, and Akhil Gupta. The anthropology of the state: A reader. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. 

Braudy, Leo, and Marshall Cohen. Film theory and criticism: Introductory readings. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

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