The intellectual as a political actor? four models of theory/praxis

A theory of ideology is usually thought of in terms of the subjects of analysis, the conceptual framework, the social actors who develop, adhere, mobilize and follow the ideology and the methodology used to decipher the set of beliefs within a certain context. If the main thrust of the late nineteenth-century women's movements was the demand for an equal vote, the feminists of the second wave argued that equality before the law was not enough: it was social practices that had to be changed, and with them the modes of action, norms, conventions and patterns of behaviour. The challenge of redefining the role of the intellectual in the late twentieth century was of particular importance to the post-Marxist schools, as the question of theory/practice relations was a central dimension under which the New Left has emerged. The role of the critical intellectual is one of exposing the regime of truth, in practices and in discourse.