Politics,History,and Context:Conceptual Shifts of Ideology

The notion of ideology varies with the changing of the times: it is in line with the historical and academic contexts in which it appears and well integrated with the political practice. The mainstream ideology, which constitutes the basis and embodiment of a nation's spirits and beliefs and forms the pillar of social culture, plays a fundamental role in confirming the political identity, regulating political behavior, reinforcing the legitimacy of the political system, and promoting political stability. The framework of viewing ideology historically, contextually and politically can provide a new perspective for understanding the nature of ideology and tracing its conceptual shifts over different historical periods, which can help the mainstream socialist ideology play a better role in the new era. The adoption of this new perspective can also help us: define the academic, ideological, and political issues in the field of ideology, achieving unifications between knowledge and value, instrumental reason and value reason, and theory and practice; make the mainstream socialist ideology more able to incorporate various beliefs and thoughts; and offer a vigorous support for the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics.