Althusser, Louis (1918–1990)

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.

Althusser murdered his wife 1980 and spent the next few years in mental hospitals. His autobiography The Future Lasts a Long Time was published 1992.