Marx and the Missing Theory of Ideology

Karl Marx is often and typically seen as one of the main theorists of ideology. However, a closer look shows that Marx does not offer anything like a developed theory of ideology. Rather, there are, as I argue here, elements for 3 quite different accounts of ideology to be found in his work: ideology as superstructure, as the rulers’ ruling ideas, and as false consciousness. This is a new reconstruction of Marx’ ideas about ideology. None of the above 3 ideas has been developed in any greater detail by Marx, and there is even the open question whether they are mutually compatible. There might be some hope to combine the second and the third idea but I argue that anyone interested in a theory of ideology should rather look into more recent developments. It turns out that such a theory is still very much in its ‘infancy’.