PapersFlow Research Brief
Political theory and Gramsci
Research Guide
What is Political theory and Gramsci?
Political theory and Gramsci refers to the body of scholarly work examining Antonio Gramsci's concepts of hegemony, subalternity, civil society, and passive revolution, and their applications in contemporary politics, education, cultural studies, postcolonial theory, and critiques of neoliberalism.
This field encompasses 22,088 works that analyze Gramsci's Prison Notebooks and their influence on political and cultural debates. Key texts reinterpret hegemony through Lenin and Gramsci's writings to address crises in left-wing thought and advocate radical democratic politics, as in 'Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics' by Mouffe and Laclau (1985). Applications extend to emotion in politics and performativity in education under neoliberal conditions.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Gramscian Concept of Hegemony
This sub-topic analyzes Gramsci's theory of cultural and ideological dominance by ruling classes, with applications to modern politics. Researchers trace its evolution in debates on consent and coercion.
Subaltern Studies and Gramsci
Explores Gramsci's subaltern concept in postcolonial contexts, focusing on marginalized voices and historiography. Studies critique Eurocentrism and agency in Global South resistance.
Gramsci and Civil Society
Investigates the role of civil society as a site of hegemonic struggle and counter-hegemony in Gramsci's framework. Researchers apply it to NGOs, social movements, and state relations.
Passive Revolution in Gramsci
Examines Gramsci's notion of top-down reforms without mass mobilization, applied to neoliberal transitions. Studies compare historical cases like Italian unification and contemporary globalization.
Gramsci in Cultural Studies
Applies Gramscian ideas to cultural production, identity politics, and media hegemony. Researchers link it to Stuart Hall's reception theory and popular culture resistance.
Why It Matters
Gramsci's theories provide frameworks for understanding power dynamics in civil society and state regulation, directly applied in analyses of neoliberal performativity in education. Stephen J. Ball (2003) in 'The teacher's soul and the terrors of performativity' shows how performativity organizes teachers' selves around external targets and performance indicators, enabling advanced liberal governance with 4425 citations. These ideas intersect with cultural studies, as in Sara Ahmed's 'The Cultural Politics of Emotion' (2014, 7617 citations), which examines emotions' role in political movements and sticking points in social structures. In postcolonial and democratic contexts, they inform studies like Robert D. Putnam et al.'s 'Making Democracy Work' (1994, 3755 citations) on civic traditions.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
'Selections from the prison notebooks of Antonio Gramsci' by Gramsci, Hoare, and Nowell-Smith (2015), as it directly presents Gramsci's core concepts like hegemony and civil society from his original writings, serving as the foundational text with 6359 citations.
Key Papers Explained
Mouffe and Laclau's 'Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics' (1985, 9313 citations) builds directly on Gramsci's hegemony from Lenin to propose radical democracy. This connects to Williams's 'Marxism and Literature' (1978, 4754 citations) and '3.2. MARXISM AND LITERATURE' (2006, 4521 citations), which develop cultural materialism extending Gramscian ideology-culture links. Ball's 'The teacher's soul and the terrors of performativity' (2003, 4425 citations) applies these to neoliberal education, while Ahmed's 'The Cultural Politics of Emotion' (2014, 7617 citations) incorporates emotional politics.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Current scholarship applies Gramsci to neoliberalism critiques and cultural studies intersections, as evidenced by high citation counts in education and emotion politics papers. No recent preprints or news in the last 12 months indicate steady incorporation into broader topics like migration and feminist epistemology.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic ... | 1985 | Medical Entomology and... | 9.3K | ✕ |
| 2 | The Cultural Politics of Emotion | 2014 | Edinburgh University P... | 7.6K | ✕ |
| 3 | Selections from the prison notebooks of Antonio Gramsci | 2015 | — | 6.4K | ✓ |
| 4 | Marxism and Literature | 1978 | Journal of Aesthetics ... | 4.8K | ✕ |
| 5 | 3.2. MARXISM AND LITERATURE | 2006 | Edinburgh University P... | 4.5K | ✕ |
| 6 | The teacher's soul and the terrors of performativity | 2003 | Journal of Education P... | 4.4K | ✕ |
| 7 | Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age | 1985 | Southern Economic Journal | 4.0K | ✕ |
| 8 | Marxism and the philosophy of language | 1973 | Medical Entomology and... | 3.9K | ✕ |
| 9 | Making Democracy Work | 1994 | Princeton University P... | 3.8K | ✕ |
| 10 | Stuart Hall: Critical Dialogues in Cultural Studies | 2006 | — | 3.4K | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hegemony in Gramsci's political theory?
Hegemony in Gramsci's theory denotes the dominance of one social group over others achieved through cultural and ideological leadership rather than coercion alone. Mouffe and Laclau (1985) in 'Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics' trace its development from Lenin and Gramsci to propose radical democratic strategies amid left-wing crises. This concept shapes analyses in cultural studies and postcolonial theory.
How do Gramsci's Prison Notebooks influence modern political theory?
Gramsci's Prison Notebooks, written 1929-1935, explore politics-culture relationships and have shaped debates on ideology and civil society. 'Selections from the prison notebooks of Antonio Gramsci' by Gramsci, Hoare, and Nowell-Smith (2015) compiles these ideas, earning 6359 citations for their originality. They underpin works like Raymond Williams's cultural materialism in '3.2. MARXISM AND LITERATURE' (2006).
What role does performativity play in Gramscian critiques of neoliberalism?
Performativity acts as a neoliberal regulation mode where practitioners organize around targets and indicators. Ball (2003) in 'The teacher's soul and the terrors of performativity' applies this to education, linking it to Gramscian views of civil society and state power with 4425 citations. It reveals terrors in soul-fabrication under advanced liberalism.
How is Gramsci applied in cultural studies?
Gramsci's hegemony informs cultural politics, as in Ahmed's 'The Cultural Politics of Emotion' (2014), which analyzes emotions' movement in politics. Stuart Hall's contributions in 'Stuart Hall: Critical Dialogues in Cultural Studies' (2006, 3409 citations) build on Gramsci for cultural studies development. Raymond Williams's 'Marxism and Literature' (1978, 4754 citations) extends this via cultural materialism.
What connections exist between Gramsci and radical democracy?
Gramsci's hegemony supports radical democratic politics against thin liberalism. Mouffe and Laclau (1985) in 'Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics' (9313 citations) reexamine it for new struggles post-Stalinism. Barber's 'Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age' (1985, 4049 citations) aligns with participatory ideals echoing Gramscian civil society.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can Gramscian hegemony account for emotional dynamics in contemporary populist movements?
- ? In what ways does subalternity in Gramsci's framework adapt to digital civil society under neoliberalism?
- ? What mechanisms of passive revolution explain stalled transitions to radical democratic politics?
- ? How do intersections of Gramsci's ideas with postcolonial theory address ongoing global migrations?
Recent Trends
The field maintains 22,088 works with no specified 5-year growth rate, reflecting sustained interest in Gramsci's applications.
High citations persist in foundational texts like Mouffe and Laclau (1985, 9313 citations) and Ahmed (2014, 7617 citations), with no new preprints or news in the last 6-12 months signaling stable integration into related areas such as postcolonial theory and neoliberal critiques.
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