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One of the problems with Althusser's Ideological State Apparatuses, however, is precisely the way in which these institutions are supposed to inscribe subjects within ideology. For Althusser this is a matter of what he terms 'interpellation' or 'hailing'. As Althusser proposes, interpellation 'can be imagined along the lines of the most common-place everyday police (or other) hailing: "Hey, you there!"' (quoted in MI: 131). In Althusser's model, if you are hailed in this way, you will almost invariably recognize yourself in the call and think that it is precisely you who is being hailed. For Žižek this model of interpellation fails to explain how an Ideological State Apparatus creates belief in an ideology. How is merely being hailed enough to make you believe in ideology? The solution to this problem, according to Žižek, is to view Ideological State Apparatuses as ideology machines in the Pascalian sense. That is, Ideological State Apparatuses are mechanisms which generate a belief in a particular system, creating a conviction in the rectitude of that system before we are even aware of it. They unconsciously pre-empt our belief and thereby habituate us to it.
INTERPELLATION
In [[Althusser]]'s theory of [[ideology]], [[interpellation]] is the mechanism that produces [[subject]]s in such a way that they recognize their own [[existence]] in terms of the dominant [[ideology]] of the society in which they live. (1970).
The French ''[[interpellation]]'' is commonly used to mean 'being taken in by the police for questioning', it also means the 'questioning' of a minister in parliament.
[[Althusser]]'s basic illustration of the mechanism exploits this sense of 'questioning' or 'hailing'.
An [[individual]] walking down the street is hailed by a police officer - 'Hey, you there!' - and turns round to recognize the fact that he is being addressed.
In doing so, that [[individual]] is constituted as a [[subject]].
According to [[Althusser]], the idea of interpellation demonstrates that [[subject]]s are always and already the products of [[ideology]], and thus subverts the [[idealist]] thesis that [[subjectivity]] is primary or self-founding.
==Vaneigem==
A similar notion of [[interpellation]] can be found in [[Vaneigem]]'s contribution to the theory of [[situationism]] (1967).
Confronted by the flow of [[sign]]s and [[image]]s that cosntitute [[Debord]]'s '[[society of the spectacle]]', [[individual]]s are constantly [[interpellated]] by posters, advertisements and stereotypes offering universal [[image]]s in which they are invited to recognize themselves.
The function of [[interpellation]] is to block spontaneous creativity.
Whether or not there is any direct connection between the two notions of [[interpellation]] remains unclear.
==See Also==
