What is "interpellation"

Interpellation \In`ter*pel*la"tion\, n. [L. interpellatio: cf. F. interpellation.]

1. The act of interpelling or interrupting; interruption. ``Continual interpellations.''
   --Bp. Hall.

2. The act of interposing or interceding; intercession.

   Accepted by his interpellation and intercession.
   --Jer. Taylor.

3. An act of interpellating, or of demanding of an officer an explanation of his action; imperative or peremptory questioning; a point raised in a debate.

4. A official summons or citation.
   --Ayliffe.

late 15c., "an appeal," from Latin interpellationem, noun of action from past participle stem of interpellare "to interrupt by speaking," from inter "between" (see inter-) + pellare, collateral form of pellere "to drive" (see pulse (n.1)).

n. 1 (context politics English) The act of interpellate (questioning); the period in which government officials are questioned about and explain an act, a policy or a point raised during a debate. 2 (context philosophy English) The act of interpellate: the act of identification. 3 The act of interpel: interruption.

1. n. (parliament) a procedure of demanding that a government official explain some act or policy

2. the action of interjecting or interposing an action or remark that interrupts [syn: interjection, interposition, interpolation]

Interpellation is associated in particular with the work of French philosopher Louis Althusser. In Marxist theory, interpellation is an important concept regarding the notion of ideology. According to Althusser, every society is made up of Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs) and Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs) which are instrumental to spread the dominant ideology of that given society. While ISAs belong to the private domain and refer to private institutions (family, church but also the media and politics), the RSA is one public institution (police/military) controlled by the government. Consequently, interpellation describes the process by which ideology, embodied in major social and political institutions (ISAs and RSAs), constitutes the very nature of individual subjects' identities through the process of 'hailing' at them in social interactions.

Furthermore, Althusser’s thought has made significant contributions to other French philosophers, notably Derrida, Kristeva, Barthes, Foucault, and Deleuze.

Interpellation is the formal right of a parliament to submit formal questions to the government. In many parliaments, each individual member of parliament has the right to formally submit questions (possibly a limited amount during a certain period) to a member of government. The respective minister or secretary is then required to respond and to justify government policy. Interpellation thus allows the parliament to supervise the government's activity. In this sense, it is closer to a motion of censure. In English, the parliamentary questioning sense of 'interpellation' dates from the late 19th century. It has been adopted from French constitutional discourse.

In some countries, for example Finland and Slovenia, interpellations are more or less synonymous with a motion of no confidence because they are automatically connected with a vote of confidence and their express purpose is to determine the confidence enjoyed by the government or a minister. In Finland, the government must reply to an interpellation in a plenary session within 15 days. After receiving the reply to the interpellation, parliament debates the matter and proceeds to vote on whether the government or a particular minister enjoys the confidence of Parliament.

Interpellation may refer to:

• Interpellation (philosophy), the process by which ideology addresses the pre-ideological individual and produces him or her as a subject proper
• Interpellation (politics), the submission of questions by parliamentarians to their government