Base and superstructure

In Marxist theory, society consists of two parts: the base (or substructure) and superstructure. The base refers to the mode of production which includes the forces and relations of production (e.g. employer–employee work conditions, the technical division of labour, and property relations) into which people enter to produce the necessities and amenities of life. The superstructure refers to society's other relationships and ideas not directly relating to production including its culture, institutions, roles, rituals, religion, media, and state. The relation of the two parts is not strictly unidirectional. The superstructure can affect the base. However, the influence of the base is predominant.^[1]

Althusser

Classical Marxism

Criticism of Marxism

Critique of political economy

Cultural hegemony

Dialectical materialism

Economic determinism

False consciousness

Historical materialism

Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses

Materialism

Organic crisis

Reification

Social change

Social structure

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Bottomore, Tom

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Calhoun, Craig

. "Rethinking the Base and Superstructure Metaphor." Papers on Class, Hegemony and Party. Bloomfield, J., ed. London: Lawrence & Wishart, 1977.

Hall, Stuart

. "Base and Superstructure". International Socialism 2:32, Summer 1986, pp. 3–44.

Chris Harman

. A Companion to Marx's Capital. London: Verso, 2010.

Harvey, David

Larrain, Jorge. Marxism and Ideology. Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey: Humanities Press, 1983.

. History and Class Consciousness. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1972.

Lukács, Georg

. Time, Labour, and Social Domination: A Reinterpretation of Marx's Critical Theory. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Postone, Moishe

R.J. Robinson. Base and Superstructure. Understanding Marxism's Second Biggest Idea. Alton: Putney2, 2023.

. Marxism and Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977.