Theory From the Conjuncture: Althusser’s Aleatory Materialism and Machiavelli's dispositif

Over time Althusserian theory has come to define, Balibar (1994) argues, two distinct types of theoretical object: the first are large structural totalities (such as the capitalist mode of production), the second are conjunctures (specific concrete circumstances). However, a problem is created by this separation because it forces the theorist to follow one or the other of two distinct lines of philosophical inquiry. This begs the question as to whether this separation can be overcome; and, if so, how? This paper develops the argument that Althusser’s concept of aleatory materialism can be used as a bridge between structural totalities and conjunctures. An outline of aleatory materialism is first developed, before then being used to interrogate examples of both structural and conjunctural arguments. Althusser’s (1982/2006) and Balibar’s (1968/2006) accounts of the failed Italian, but successful British, establishment of a capitalist mode o