The Functions of Ideology: A Conceptual Approach

Ideologies can be understood as assemblages of concepts. But this ‘morphological’ account of ideologies has only been conceived in relation to Michael Freeden’s seminal work. Here, an alternative approach to mapping ideologies is developed. This approach is concerned with the functions that ideologies serve. An ideology, it is theorised, will prioritise concepts that help it to serve their ‘first-order’ functions, and these concepts will often relate to similar domains of knowledge. To demonstrate the implications of the approach, the article will employ it to analyse the ‘Blue Labour’ and ‘Red Tory’ traditions that have emerged in contemporary Britain.