An Althusserian Study of Netflix Series Squid Game

Abstract

This article explored the South Korean Netflix series Squid Game (Season 1) through the theoretical lens of Louis Althusser’s concept of interpellation, situated within the wider Marxist intellectual tradition. Based on the concept of cultural hegemony formulated by Gramsci, Marx’s critique of capitalism and the explanation of Repressive and Ideological State Appliances by Althusser, the study explored the depiction of the series of ideological control, subject formation and systematic compliance. This study used a qualitative method, namely, textual and critical discourse analysis, to examine how characters were hailed into subject positions that replicated and reproduced larger capitalist hierarchies. Owing to the special emphasis on the interpellation, the thesis showed how the series was not only an entertaining piece of work, but a critical commentary on ideology, power, and social control. The relevance of this work was that it served to address the modern literary and cultural criticism by filling in the gap between the abstract Marxist theory and popular culture. In doing so, the thesis provided insight into the both ways media reflected and shaped socio-political realities, encouraging critical awareness of how ideology constructed subjects in everyday life.