This class aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the concept of ideology. The course addresses the question of how ideologies are formed, maintained, and transformed at different levels of analysis - from individual perceptions to societal structures. The first introductory sessions will discuss general definitions of 'ideology' from the relevant literature. The focus will then turn to the micro-level and examine how biases in our logical thinking (heuristics) and our susceptibility to stereotypes foster the formation of ideology. The Meso-level sessions will then discuss perspectives from the sociology of knowledge. Using the concepts of socialization and embeddedness in social institutions, we will explore how our immediate social and cultural environment contributes to (re)producing certain ideological thought patterns. Finally, the macro-perspective part of the seminar deals with the emergence of ideologies from the fundamental structures of society. To this end, Marxist approaches focusing on economic structures will be discussed as well as post-structuralist approaches analyzing power structures in public discourse. After the theoretical sessions, relevant case studies will shed light on empirical manifestations of ideology, focusing on racism, conspiracy theories, and neoliberalism in contemporary society. Representative reading: Rehmann, Jan (2013): Theories of Ideology. The Powers of Alienation and Subjection. Leiden, NL: Brill.
- Lehrende/r: Ruben Below