A GRAMSCIAN AND ALTHUSSERIAN CRITIQUE OF THE SIMPSONS

Öz

As the all-time longest running television cartoon, The Simpsons bears a great deal of political implications. Among these implications, class conflict in general and Gramscian and Althusserian stand out in particular. Antonio Gramsci and Louis Althusser are two intellectuals who have provided serious contributions to Marxist literary theory. This article examines the renowned, American television show, The Simpsons from the viewpoint of Gramscian and Althusserian thought. Thus, the study analyses the famous cartoon from the perspective of class conflict and criticizes it through the window of Gramscian civil society and hegemony while at the same time scrutinizing the work of popular culture by referring to Althusser’s notion of ideological and state apparatuses. Having analysed these notions in the Simpsons, the article concludes by demonstrating how seriously incorporated the Simpsons actually is with Gramscian and Althusserian references and how these are embedded in the sub-layers of the television production.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• The Simpsons

GRAMSCI VE ALTHUSSERCİ BAKIŞ AÇISIYLA SİMPSONLAR ELEŞTİRİSİ

Öz

Tüm zamanların en uzun süre yayımlanan televizyon çizgi yapımı olan The Simpsons, kendi bünyesinde pek çok politik imalar içermektedir. Bunların arasında genel anlamda sınıf çatışması ve özel olarak ise Gramsci ve Althusser’in kavramları ön plana çıkmaktadır. Antonio Gramsci ve Louis Althusser, Marksist eleştiri kuramına ciddi katkılarda bulunmuş olan entelektüellerdir. Bu makale, dünyaca ünlü Amerikan çizgi filmi, The Simpsons’u Gramsci ve Althusserci bakış açısıyla incelemektedir. Buna göre, çalışma, The Simpsons adlı popüler kültür yapımını, sınıfsal açıdan incelemekte ve Gramsci’nin sivil toplum ile hegemonya kavramlarını, Althusser’in devlet aygıtları kavramları ile bağdaştırarak eleştirmektedir. Böylece makale, The Simpsons çizgi filminde mevcut olan Gramsci ve Althusser kavramlarını açığa çıkarmış ve tüm politik imaları açıklığa kavuşturarak bu yapımın sınıfsal imalar ile ne denli yüklü olduğunu ve tüm bunların yapımın alt katmanlarında nasıl yerleşmiş olduklarını da gözler önüne sermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Simpsons,Gramsci,Althusser,Sivil Toplum

Kaynakça

1. Althusser, L. (1984). Essays on Ideology. Verso, London, the United Kingdom.
2. Althusser, L. (2014). On the Reproduction of Capitalism: Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses. New York, NY: Verso Trade.
3. Coutinho, C. N. (2012). Gramsci's Political Thought. Leiden, Netherlands: BRILL.
4. Ferretter, L. (2006). Louis Althusser. London, England: Routledge.
5. Fontana, B. (1993). Hegemony and Power: On the Relation Between Gramsci and Machiavelli. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
6. Gramsci, A., Hoare, Q., & Nowell-Smith, G. (1971). Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci. INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS CO.Halpern, Paul. What's Science Ever Done for Us?: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life and the Universe. Hoboken: John Wiley, 2007. Pdf.
7. Henry, M. (2012). The Simpsons, Satire, and American Culture. Basingstoke, England: Springer.
8. Home Sweet Home diddly-Dum-Doodily [Television series episode]. (1995, October 1). In M. Groening (Producer), The Simpsons. 20th Century Fox.

9. Irwin, W., Conard, M. T., & Skoble, A. J. (2001). The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'Oh! of Homer (Large Print 16pt). Sydney, Australia: ReadHowYouWant.com.
10. Jones, S. (2007). Antonio Gramsci. London, England: Routledge.
11. King, L., & Auriffeille, D. M. (2013). Environmental Sociology: From Analysis to Action. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
12. Last Exit to Springfield [Television series episode]. (1993, March 10). In M. Groening (Producer), The Simpsons. 20th Century Fox.
13. Lisa on ice [Television series episode]. (1994, November 13). In M. Groening (Producer), The Simpsons. 20th Century Fox.
14. Marge vs. the Monorail [Television series episode]. (1993, January 14). In M. Groening (Producer), The Simpsons. 20th Century Fox.
15. Mouffe, C. (2014). Gramsci and Marxist Theory (RLE: Gramsci). London, England: Routledge.
16. Pozzolini, A. (1970). Antonio Gramsci: An Introduction to His Thought.
17. Resch, R. P. (1992). Althusser and the Renewal of Marxist Social Theory.
18. Sassoon, A. S. (2002). Gramsci and Contemporary Politics: Beyond Pessimism of the Intellect. London, England: Routledge.
19. Springfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) [Television series episode]. (1993, December 16). In M. Groening (Producer), The Simpsons. 20th Century Fox.