Modern Prince & Other Writings by Gramsci,Antonio. [1959] Paperback

The Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci elaborated the idea of hegemony in the early part of the twentieth century. Gramsci emphasizes how values supportive of dominant interests in society get passed on to the masses and thereby, once accepted by the multitudes, come to reinforce the domination by that elite. Political scientists Dawson, Prewitt, and Dawson state that: "Hegemonic theory starts with the assumption that government would not be possible unless the strains and tensions associated with the unequal allocation of values in society were somehow muted. . . . Unless the losers come to see that the way things are is 'natural' or 'appropriate' or 'legitimate,' social disruptions are likely." Normally, citizens come to accept things the way that they are--as benign, useful, legitimate, and "right." As Gramsci puts it, humans are ". . .conformist to some conformity." This supports the continuation of the status quo--and, by definition, those who benefit from the current state of affairs maintain their sway with this sort of mindset. Those who are powerful and wealthy will stay that way, in part, because the people accept this situation. How does this happen? The basic premise is that those in power who control the economic and political structures also control the transmission of messages, the views of reality, to the masses. In a capitalist society, those who are not wealthy are continually told that (a) if they work really hard, they can make it and get rich--so do not rock the boat and jeopardize your chances of joining the elite; (b) if the elite get wealthier, then this will trickle down and benefit those who are not in the ranks of the well-to-do. By being told this over and over, the mass of people come to accept their status in society and allow the powerful to stay powerful, the wealthy to stay wealthy. Hegemony, according to Gramsci, is the result of a bloc of interests united behind a common set of values and norms, which--upon being transmitted to the mass of people through the multitudinous institutions of society--reinforce the power of that bloc. Although an hegemony tends to be stable, change can take place, perhaps through the emergence of a politically conscious working class. Gramsci, an old Italian Communist, is an interesting thinker. His work is consistent with the idea of "false consciousness," which makes people sound like passive pawns in their own oppression. This might well provide to be unpalatable to many readers. However, he does provide an interesting critique of media, of leaders as willing to manipulate the mass of people. We do know that hegemonies can collapse--witness the end of the old Soviet Union almost overnight. Witness the collapse of East Germany almost overnight. In the end, Gramsci is not an old style Stalinist Marxist; there are many original insights in his work that make him an interesting thinker to explore.

Gramsci is the darling of academic sociologists, who have used his insights (especially the concept of "hegemony") in countless obscure books and articles. Of course, these intellectuals never give much mention to Gramsci's activism in the Italian Communist Party. To them, Gramsci achieved greatness when he was locked up by Mussolini, since he could write pure theory that wasn't soiled with his revolutionary activities. The irony, of course, is that Gramsci concerned himself with the *unity* of theory and action, and that he despised the elitist, insular academic world.This book contains some of his best essays on this theme, especially the Critical Notes on Bukharin's "Popular Study" of Marxism. Gramsci believes, in the Marxist tradition, that philosophy and theory are only useful as guides to practical action. Under capitalism, the working class is the main force of progressive change, and the workers' party systematizes the working-class demands into a concrete program. In that case, the proper source of intellectual thought is not the individual in the university, but the "collective organism" of a revolutionary party:"In this way a close bond is formed between the large mass, the party and the leading group, and the whole well-co-ordinated complex can move as a 'collective-man'..."It is sadly ironic that Gramsci was forced to write these lines while isolated in a fascist prison, but that does not take away from their revolutionary content. Gramsci was a brilliant socialist who opposed fascism and Stalinism. He wrote these essays for future revolutionaries, for the "organic intellectuals" who would rise from the working class to think about, *and* fight for, human liberation.