tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post1272494208402821824..comments2024-03-27T09:14:27.496+00:00Comments on All That Is Solid ...: Introducing Antonio GramsciPhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-83167609763689127082007-12-10T22:31:00.000+00:002007-12-10T22:31:00.000+00:00Aye Korakious. Gramsci has been available to Engli...Aye Korakious. Gramsci has been available to English language readers since 1971 now. Much of what Gramsci talks about, we on the left do already, though for historical reasons his influence has been more acknowledged among 'official' communist circles than among those of us who stand in a Trotskyist tradition.<BR/><BR/>As a concrete example of hegemony-building and conflict, look at environmental issues. At the moment the bourgeoisie through their monopoly on the media and rolling out of government-backed green programmes (recycling, etc.) have hegemonised environmentalism around non-threatening green-friendly consumption and individual life-style change. Those of us who have alternative <I>political</I> solutions not only have to consistently critique the obvious inadequacies of bourgeois environmentalism, we have to make green issues red issues by consistently championing them while debating and arguing with our allies/opponents within the environmental movement. Naturally, they'll be trying to do the same thing. Hence the reason why the labour movement and the revolutionary left should have large, visible presences on demonstrations such as those against climate change that took place this last weekend.<BR/><BR/>Of course, one obstacle placed in the way of constructing a vibrant and combative socialist counter-hegemony in Britain are the levels of mistrust existing between the most significant socialist organisations. There's no quick fix for getting round this, unfortunately. The best we can do at present, in the absence of a major struggle that could throw us all together, is keep open the lines of communication, keep talking, and wherever possible build constructive relationships around common actions. <BR/><BR/>Just my two pennies worth on a complex subject.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-37771859410567369982007-12-07T12:25:00.000+00:002007-12-07T12:25:00.000+00:00A good post certainly, but... we've been saying th...A good post certainly, but... we've been saying that for quite some time. By we, I mean you, and me and the guy next door, ie people who take a serious approach to Marxism than just a vulgar economistic workerism. <BR/><BR/>The problem is how do we translate this into concrete political action. What for example, should SPEW, or the SSP do to build hegemony?Korakioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07593180610210015493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-57278782707560335962007-12-07T00:16:00.000+00:002007-12-07T00:16:00.000+00:00Excellent post, Phil BC. That's as good an exposi...Excellent post, Phil BC. That's as good an exposition of the relevance of Gramsci to socialist struggle as I've seen anywhere.<BR/><BR/>The strange thing for me is that, theoretically speaking, I came to Marxism mainly through Gramsci (or at least the appropriation of his work in 80s cultural studies) rather than any of the more "classic" Marxist approaches. I was a socialist before that, but in terms of my theoretical understanding Lenin and Trotsky are still relatively unfamiliar territory to me compared to Gramsci. I think that's partly the reason I felt uncomfortable in a trad revolutionary party like the SP. I suppose I'm a child of the 21st century in that respect: uncomfortable in any party, and more receptive to the idea of cultural struggle than anything. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not necessarily a good thing either...<BR/><BR/>I think you make a good point about the mis-use of Gramsci in academia too. It certainly applies to cultural studies: including those academics who (contrary to what Gramsci or Marx themselves would have argued) began to see practically all of popular culture as a sign of struggle and resistance: the "don't worry be happy" conception of popular culture. I like to see myself at neither one extreme or the either (neither Frankfurt School nor Cultural Populist) and I think Gramsci offers a way out of that polarisation, if used properly. <BR/><BR/>PS. Thanks for the shout out re. my Morrissey post!D.B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17068816125711875576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-19995516500949259592007-12-06T14:29:00.000+00:002007-12-06T14:29:00.000+00:00Thank fuck things aren't as grim now as they were ...Thank fuck things aren't as grim now as they were back then Eddie, lol.<BR/><BR/>Thanks comrades for the comments as well. The one thing I get from Gramsci, which I didn't really go into much depth about, was how his approach to hegemony, the forging of the historic bloc, the war of position within civil society (again, not really covered in my post), lay out in abstract terms how socialism can form and proceeds to develop from within capitalist society. <BR/><BR/>I hope to work this piece up and expand it into an article for Socialism Today.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-76752836114406067962007-12-05T23:20:00.000+00:002007-12-05T23:20:00.000+00:00Fuck me, a CWI branch discussing Gramsci.It would ...Fuck me, a CWI branch discussing Gramsci.<BR/>It would never have been tolerated in my day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-91317108443696958762007-12-05T19:04:00.000+00:002007-12-05T19:04:00.000+00:00Charlie: I have problems commenting on your blog. ...Charlie: I have problems commenting on your blog. It's a technical problem.<BR/><BR/>Phil: Thank you for helping save Gramsci from his fair weather friends the Stalinists.Frank Partisanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03536211653082893030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-39481797833840831752007-12-05T18:45:00.000+00:002007-12-05T18:45:00.000+00:00First - thanks for stopping by.Next - A wonderful ...First - thanks for stopping by.<BR/><BR/>Next - A wonderful post. <BR/><BR/><I>the construction of the new society is a continuation of the struggle against generations of bourgeois ideas settled like a sediment upon the the collective consciousness of our class. </I><BR/><BR/>This thought process, and others similar to it in your post is something that has been at the top of my personal socio-political conversations as of late. <BR/><BR/>Although I do take a different stance, slightly, the idea behind it all is the same. Years upon centuries of social "training" will have to be undone to create any kind of new society, be it Socialist, Communist, Anarchist etc...<BR/><BR/>Thanks for saying it better than I have been able to as of late!Anokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05675278947623136467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-21694532156353329342007-12-05T05:18:00.000+00:002007-12-05T05:18:00.000+00:00I started getting into Gramsci when I was taking a...I started getting into Gramsci when I was taking a look at anti-fascist literature from a Marxist perspective. It wasn't so much that he developed the idea of cultural hegemony (Marx simply referred to it as the bourgeois "superstructure") but rather he identified its place and role in modern society. Gramsci is probably cited more than Marx himself for his contributions on culture, and ironically many of those who cite him are Christian conservatives.<BR/><BR/>Good post. I'm going to give it a second go-over tomorrow.MC Fanonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04966360672502646830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-39918419682281412392007-12-05T01:21:00.000+00:002007-12-05T01:21:00.000+00:00Aye. But its a fucking miserable read. It'd make a...Aye. But its a fucking miserable read. It'd make a good film or, now here's an idea, BBC costume drama...<BR/><BR/>Great post, compa. The "socialism as idea" is prevelant, esp. among working people, as you've noted. What we need to articulate is class, socialism as working class rule, as participatory democracy.Charlie Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12770820928636046622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-49910890410243893832007-12-04T18:05:00.000+00:002007-12-04T18:05:00.000+00:00For a classic portrayal of working-class acceptanc...For a classic portrayal of working-class acceptance of the bourgeois hegemony you cannot beat Robert Tressell's 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com