Thinking about Ideology and Method
A Comment on Schull
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6345382 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rachel Walker (0000-0002-9921-1873, University of Essex, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1995 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 333-342 |
| Publication date | 1995-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9248.1995.tb01716.x |
| OpenAlex | W2042451223 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 2 |
This article addresses some theoretical problems which arise in a recent article by Joseph Schull on ideology and Soviet-type societies. I argue that the conceptualizations of Marxism-Leninism, ideology, and discourse offered by Schull are unlikely to enhance the study of Soviet ideological practices significantly because Schull's approach is both too essentialist and too general. Schull treats these concepts as unities reducible through proper definition. I argue that they are better understood as problematics which, in the first two cases, encompass a wide variety of forms and practices; and, in the third, a variety of methods and approaches. Since the study of Marxism-Leninism or ideology, like anything else, is driven by questions, problems, hypotheses, etc., I suggest that it is unhelpful to engage in a priori generalizations about method
A priori and a posteriori · Epistemology · Essentialism · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Variety (cybernetics · Computer Science · Critical Theory and Philosophy · Law · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2001 - 2016 (16) |
| Highly cited | No |