Antonio Gramsci

Gramsci

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Antonio Gramsci (22 January 1891 – 27 April 1937) was an Italian Marxist philosopher, journalist, linguist, writer, and politician. He is best known for his theory of cultural hegemony, which describes how the state and ruling capitalist class use cultural institutions to maintain power in capitalist societies. Gramsci was a founding member and one-time leader of the Communist Party of Italy.

Early life

Gramsci was born in Ales, Sardinia, in the Kingdom of Italy. He was the fourth of seven children. His father, Francesco, was a low-level government official who was later imprisoned for embezzlement. This event significantly impacted the family's financial situation and Gramsci's early life.

Education and early career

Gramsci won a scholarship to study at the University of Turin, where he became involved in the socialist movement. He joined the Italian Socialist Party and began writing for socialist newspapers. His work focused on the conditions of the working class and the role of intellectuals in society.

Political activity

In 1921, Gramsci helped found the Communist Party of Italy. He was elected as a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1924. However, his political activities led to his arrest by the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini in 1926. Gramsci was sentenced to 20 years in prison, where he wrote most of his influential works.

Prison writings

During his imprisonment, Gramsci wrote extensively on political theory, sociology, and linguistics. His most famous work, the Prison Notebooks, contains his thoughts on cultural hegemony, the role of intellectuals, and the nature of the state. These writings have had a profound impact on Western Marxism and cultural studies.

Cultural hegemony

Gramsci's concept of cultural hegemony describes how the ruling class maintains control over society not just through political and economic means, but also through cultural institutions. He argued that the ruling class's ideas become the "common sense" values of all, thus maintaining their dominance.

Legacy

Gramsci's ideas have influenced a wide range of disciplines, including political theory, sociology, and cultural studies. His work has been particularly influential in the fields of critical theory and postcolonial studies. Scholars such as Stuart Hall, Raymond Williams, and Edward Said have drawn on Gramsci's theories in their own work.

Related pages

• Karl Marx
• Vladimir Lenin
• Cultural studies
• Communist Party of Italy
• Prison Notebooks
• Western Marxism
• Cultural hegemony