Final answer:
Louis Althusser defines 'our imagined relations to our real conditions of existence' as Ideology, which is perpetuated through the State Apparatus, including both Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses. These apparatuses shape our social reality and maintain ruling class ideologies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The French philosopher Louis Althusser defines 'our imagined relations to our real conditions of existence' as Ideology. Ideology, in Althusser's theory, reflects the complex ways in which people conceive their relationship to the structures they live within. According to Althusser, the State Apparatus is divided into the Repressive State Apparatus, which enforces control through institutions like the government and police, and the Ideological State Apparatus, which includes education systems, families, and cultural institutions. These apparatuses shape our consciousness and thereby maintain the power dynamics within society.
Althusser's concept of Ideology touches upon larger discussions in post-structuralism. Thinkers like Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze assert that the self is a social construct, without essence until formed through societal influences. Similarly, Althusser argues that ideology interlinks with our social construction of reality, perpetuating a false consciousness where the oppressed internalize the ideology of the ruling class through these state apparatuses, thus maintaining the status quo.