Description
Susan Strange's work in political economy has proved a lasting conceptualisation of the Global Political Economy that has aided researchers and students to better study various phenomena. Her writing in States and Markers develops the concept of structural power and allows academics to understand how states and transnational coorperations may utilise and shape power from production, security, financial, and knowledge structures within the global political economy. The knowledge-structure, however, remains undertheorised despite the efforts of academics like Paul Langley and Lynn Mytelka. There is disagreement around how we should conceptualise knowledge how significant knowledge is to global politics. After summarising the debates around Stranges work, this paper seeks to re-evaluate Stranges work through the writing of Stuart Hall who's writing on the function of ideology in the political economy and the role cultiure plays in ideological struggle. In doing so, the paper proposes a fifth structure for scholars to consider: an "ideological structure" that sits at the base of Strange's Four Structures and through culture interacts with the structures of production, finance, security, and knowledge. This reconceptualisation not only makes clear how knowledge and information function politically but it also allows us to begin to explore the significance of the cultural industry to wider political phenomena. To illustrate this argument, the paper presents a case study of popular films and TV shows produced in the wake of 9/11. By analysing production documents that relate to how these films films were writtem, financed, and produced the study reveals both how different state and non-state agents struggle over influence within the knowledge structure and how cultural narratives can be mobilized to reinforce or challenge dominant political ideologies, shape public opinion, and ultimately influence the trajectory of global events. The analysis hopefully demonstrates the utility of this reconceptualisation whilst highlighting the importance of considering the cultural industry's role in shaping the knowledge landscape and its impact on global political and economic power dynamics.
