Theories of Ideology

At the level of elementary theoretical perspective or approach, the course deals presents a break with usual theories of ideology (Althusser, Gramsci), that is theories, which understand ideology independently of media of its production and transmission or automatically assume that this media is writing and discourse. Furthermore, the course attempts to develop and present a contemporary theory of ideology by taking into account that writing is currently in decline and therefore ideology is no longer (necessarily or exclusively) tied to discourse.
At the level of content, the course begins with a short analysis of elementary mechanisms of capitalist economy; which (especially competition and increases and productivity) are then tied to a specific technological dynamics of capitalism; next, we locate the site and role of media technologies within said dynamics; and continue a research of material (technological) media infrastructure of capitalism. The course is concluded with an inquiry into ideology within 21st century capitalism, that is ideology, which is closer to big data and affect manipulation than writing and discourse.

• Heinrich, Michael, Kritika politične ekonomije: uvod, Ljubljana, Sophia, 2013. COBISS.SI-ID – 268967168
• McLuhan, Marshall. 2005 [1964]. Understanding media : the extensions of man. London ; New York : Routledge. COBISS.SI-ID - 104486915
• Manovich, Lev. 2018. Software takes command. New York : Bloomsbury Academic. COBISS.SI-ID – 104478979
• Kittler, Friedrich, Gramophone, film, typewriter, Stanford, Stanford university press, 1999. COBISS.SI-ID - 26509410
• Flusser, Vilem, Does writing have a future?, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota press, 2011. COBISS.SI-ID – 67959138

(Each year, the reading list is updated with new and/or previously overlooked classic literature)