Interpellation and the Construction of Subjective Identity

Tags: psychology/social psychology, theory, althusser, interpellation, hailing, 00 to 05 mins
Year: 1993
Length: 0:37
Access: YouTube (start 4:23; end 5:00)

Summary: In this short clip from the movie, The Fugitive, police officer Samuel Gerard (played by actor Tommy Lee Jones) chases after Dr. Richard Kimble, (played by actor Harrison Ford) a man on the run from the law, and wrongfully accused for the murder of his wife. Jones is unsure if the man he is chasing is in fact who he thinks it is, the fugitive he's been chasing. This clip is a great example to use when teaching the Althusserian concept of interpellation, or "hailing". When an individual is interpolated, the individual becomes the (addressed) subject. (Subjective) identity is established by the hailer at the moment a response in affirmation is made by the hailed. When the detective (Jones) leans his head over the stair's railing and yells "Richard" the unknown man (individual) becomes Kimble/Fugitive/Deviant (the subject) the moment he (Ford) looks up in response.

Submitted By: Aimee Koon

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