نقدي افشاگرانه بر چشم‌چراني اثر اشمائيل ريد: نقش ايدئولوژيك يا رهايي‌بخش ادبيات

پژوهش حاضر به بررسي سازوكارهاي ايدئولوژي فرهنگي حكومت لويي آلتوسر در رمان چشم‌چراني مي‌پردازد و سعي دارد نشان دهد آيا رمان در خدمت پيشبرد ايدئولوژي است يا قصد مقابله با آن را دارد. با توجه به اين واقعيت كه آلتوسر ادبيات را سازوكاري ايدئولوژيك مي‌داند و فرانتس فانون نيز از آن به‌عنوان نيرويي رهايي‌بخش در راستاي تغيير و تحول نام مي‌برد، اين مقاله چشم‌چراني را نبردگاهي براي بحث در مورد اين دو ديدگاه متضاد در نظر مي‌گيرد. چون رمان ريد با جايگاه فرهنگ و ادبيات در جامعه آمريكا سروكار دارد، اهميت اين تحقيق در آن نهفته است كه رمان به‌عنوان مؤلفه‌اي فرهنگي چگونه مي‌تواند سازوكارهاي غالب توليد فرهنگ را افشا كند و آن‌ها را به چالش بكشاند. در اين مقاله سعي بر آن است به جنبه‌هاي پرداخته شود كه ريد به افشاسازي گفتمان غالب فرهنگي و ايدئولوژي جامعه آمريكا مي‌پردازد و آن‌ها را به چالش مي‌كشاند. يافته‌هاي اين مقاله نشان مي‌دهد كه رمان چشم‌چراني نه‌تنها ايدئولوژي جهان‌شمول آلتوسر را به چالش مي‌كشد بلكه تا حد زيادي با باورهاي فرانتس فانون همخواني دارد.

In Reckless Eyeballing (1986), Reed is intolerant of the ideological layers of American society. He exposes the way cultural ins titutions are at work not to implement salvation for the mass, but to take them into further bondage. Reed’s reaction to his contemporary movements and discourses in Reckless Eyeballing makes the novel potential to be a touchs tone to discuss two conflicting views of literature. Though Louis Althusser classifies literature as an Ideological S tate Apparatus (ISA) that in the final analysis furthers the values of the ruling class, Franz Fanon presents the idea of “combat literature” to argue for the revolutionary nature of literature. While Althusser’s contention is applicable to a set of literary works, one can discuss whether it is true of African-American works. Since Reed is considered as one of the mos t prominent figures in African-American literature, his Reckless Eyeballing, which is primarily concerned with cultural ISA in American society, can decide on whether the Althusserian conception of literature as an ISA is applicable to African- American literature in general and African-American literature in particular. Background S tudies: Fanon’s “combat literature” can properly be seen as a counter-discussion agains t Althusser’s designation of literature as an Ideological S tate Apparatus. These two approaches to literature appears to be sprung from the two thinkers’ background. Althusser writes in the backdrop of the 1960s revolutions while Fanon considers the anti-colonial tendencies of racial backgrounds. Since Reed’s Reckless Eyeballing contains racial concerns of its author, it shows how the Althusser-fanon conflict can be resolved. While Althusserian theory of literature as an ideological ins titution appears to be of a universal contention, Reed’s Reckless Eyeballing is capable of revealing whether theories need to be considered as locally cons trained or not. Argument and Method: Althusser has repeatedly referred to the workings of his tory in the hands of the ruling power. Like alluding to all “realities,” when the ruling class alludes to his tory, it taints it with hints of “illusion” (73). Thus, what we receive as “his tory” is a cons truct made by the power discourse, removed from the harsh realities of societies. This fake and ideologically s tricken narrative, which in Althusserian term is nothing but an ideology or an “Ideological S tate Apparatus,” is frequently attacked by neo-Marxis ts like Althusser who try to rewrite his tory from other points of view. Though such an attempt can be properly seen as an anti-ideology, Althusser appears to be believing in the ideological nature of literature in the final analysis. By classifying literature, the arts, and other cultural ins titutions as “Ideological S tate Apparatuses,” Althusser sees little hope for the salvaging mission of literature. On the other hand, Franz Fanon presents the idea of “combat literature” to argue for the revolutionary nature of literature (Wretched, 159). This conflicting approach to literature can be evaluated through their applicability to an African-American novel. Through inves tigation of Althusserian Ideological S tate Apparatuses in Reed’s Reckless Eyeballing, the text comes to be a proper touchs tone to decide on the resolution of the Althusser-fanon conflict. Conclusion: Through his realis tic portrayal in Reckless Eyeballing, Reed des tabilizes cultural ins titutions including the while feminis t movement in an attempt to wield a fight agains t despotic forces that marginalized African-American men. In this novel, Reed is evidently intolerant of any ins titutional exertion of ideological power. Due to exposure of different Ideological S tate Apparatuses, the novel assumes an expository criticism to clearly resis t the interpellating nature of ideological ins titutions in American society. The policy adopted by Reed to resis t the ideological discourse of the novel is the novelis t’s use of a multiplicity of voices and s tandpoints to create contradictory discourses. Thus, Reed’s novel can be considered more as a combat literature than an ideological production. Apparently, Reed’s philosophy of combat literature lies in exposing ideological apparatuses to use them agains t themselves.