gramsci

• hegemony

  • ideological and moral leadership of society
  • He argues that the proletariat must develop its own ‘counter-hegemony’ to win the leadership of society from the bourgeoisie.
• Gramsci sees the ruling class maintaining its dominance over society in two ways:

  1. Coercion: it uses the army, police, prisons and courts of the capitalist state to force other classes to accept its rule.Consent
  2. hegemony: it uses ideas and values to persuade the subordinate classes that its rule is legitimate.
• argues the hegemony of ruling class is never complete for 2 reasons:

  1. ruling class are minority
  2. proletariate have a dual consciousness - not completely unaware of the exploitation they experience

  • Therefore there is always the possibility of ruling-class hegemony being undermined
• a03 of Gramsci

  • accused of over-emphasising the role of ideas and under-emphasising the role of both state coercion and economic factors.
  • e.g workers may see through ruling class ideology but reluctant to overthrow due to fear of state oppression, may lose their job
• gramsci ideas

  • humanistic marxist
  • hegemony
  • voluntarism
• voluntarism

  • argues humans have free will.
  • They are active agents who make their own history.
  • Their consciousness and ideas are central in changing the world.
  • therefore, proletariat will eventually overthrow capitalism
• socialism

  • argues Socialism will come about when people become conscious of the need to overthrow capitalism.
  • Encourages political action, believing the time is always ripe for revolution.
• organic intellectuals

  • In Gramsci’s view, the working class can only win this battle for ideas by producing their own ‘organic intellectuals’.
  • means a body of class conscious workers, organised into a revolutionary political party, who are able to formulate an alternative vision of how society could be run in the future.