A Review of 'Ideology and the Cultural Production of Gender' by Michele Barrett (original) (raw)

Abstract

Since its inception, Marxism has had its impact on many disciplines ranging from Geography to Sociology. Though Marx never addressed himself as specialist in many subjects of social sciences, it is the academia which has brought him into these areas. The academia sympathising him has been instrumental in doing this. Even after having a polymath like personality, Marx along with Engels or without Engels restricts himself to Political Economy only. In this political economy, smooth functioning depends upon the elements of it. These include population, trust, governance, fragmentation of society and governance. When we consider the sociological aspects of political economy, the law of understanding social sciences makes our areas of search very clear. Population, Governance and Social Institutions are designated areas of study. The essay reviewed in this paper talks about gender, ideology and the cultural production of gender. It is written in the perspective of cultural studies, a branch of sociology studying cultural analysis of politics, theory and empiricism through ideology, class structures, ethnicity, cultural hegemony, sexual orientation and gender.

Key takeaways

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  1. Barrett critiques the incomplete integration of gender in Marxist theory, highlighting persistent ideological conflicts.
  2. Marxism and Feminism are seen as 'intractable', complicating their intersection in cultural studies.
  3. Cultural Capital is essential for understanding social mobility within the realms of gender and ideology.
  4. Barrett emphasizes the need for a radical transformation of capitalism to eliminate women's oppression.
  5. The essay rejects classical theories of ideology, representation, and functionalism as inadequate for addressing gender issues.

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References (1)

  1.  Althusser, Louis -Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses  Barrett, Michele -Women's Oppression Today -The Marxist/Feminist Encounter  Encyclopaedia of Marxism, Marxists Internet Archive  Friedman, Milton -Capitalism and Freedom  Friedman, Milton & Rose -Free to Choose -A Personal Statement  Gilbert, Helen -An Introduction to Marxist Feminism  Gimenez, Martha -Marxist and Materialist Feminism  Morishima, Michio -Marx's Economics -A Dual Theory of Value and Growth  Morris, Brian-Religion and Anthropology -A Critical Introduction  Roemer, John -Free to Lose -An Introduction to Marxist Economic Philosophy  Turner, Jonathan H -The Structure of Sociological Theory