The Antonio Gramsci Reader: Selected Writings 1916-1935 [Apr 01, 2014] Forgacs, David

by David Forgacs

About the the antonio gramsci selected writings 1916-1935 the most complete one-volume collection of writings by one of the most fascinating thinkers in the history of marxism, the antonio gramsci reader fills the need for a broad and general introduction to this major figure antonio gramsci was one of the most important theorists of class, culture, and the state since karl marx his influence has penetrated beyond the left and his stature has so increased that every serious student of marxism, political theory or modern italian history must now read him

Genres: Politics

447 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Josh Friedlander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not unlike blockchain technology, Marxism has historically had the paradoxical ability to attract the brightest people and produce the dumbest ideas. Among the thick ranks of Marxist intellectuals, Gramsci is among the most prominent: Althusser is passé, Hobsbawm and Lukács better known for their contributions to other fields, Terry Eagleton or Foucault too heterodox to count. Gramsci was a organiser who helped run the Fiat factory occupation in Turin and represented the Communists in the Italian parliament until his arrest by the Fascist government. In prison he committed to his famous notebooks most of the ideas he is known for: the concept of "hegemony", the term "subaltern", as well as notes on theatre and literature, linguistics, philosophy of history, and much else. "Unlike Lenin but like Marx," says Hobsbawm in an introduction to this collection, "he was a born intellectual, a man almost physically excited by the sheer attraction of ideas."

This book gives a good sense of his output, much of which is about ideological battles about the direction of the workers' movement and the direction of Italian history. (As a native of the mezzogiorno, Gramsci wrote much about the "Southern question", explicitly calling it colonialism, and it served as the original model for his concept of hegemony.) He argues frequently with the liberal Croce and the anarchist Sorel. He has a surprisingly good take on Sinclair Lewis' novel Babbitt, criticising European readers' tendency to see its portrayal of spiritual emptiness as American provincialism. The European philistine, with a cathedral in the background and the belief that "he discovered America with Christopher Columbus" is simply more complacent.

Interestingly, Gramsci admired the hyperproductivity of America and wondered if Communist countries could copy "Fordism" (a term seemingly only ever used by European Marxists), or if it was in every respect a product of a fully Capitalist economy. (Amusingly the book's editor [NYU's David Fogacs] criticises Gramsci for this "productivist" line of thinking.) In a similar genre is this great post by Cosma Shalizi on the dream and feasibility of using linear programming to control an entire economy. (For the link I thank my friend/fellow book-blogger Uri!)

I read this past weekend that a new Gramsci biography has just come out (translated from French); here is a review.

[Matty]

Am I wrong or did this selection not include his line about the old dying and the new not born? I wanted my morbid symptoms!

[Wyatt Browdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most exciting stuff to emerge from the poorly categorized “Western Marxism”

[Left_coast_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of Antonio Gramsci's writing from 1916-1935. Considered a highly original Marxist thinker, Gramsci played a leading role in the Communist Party of Italy. He was imprisoned by Mussolini's fascist government in 1926. His health deteriorated due to the terrible conditions of his imprisonment and he died in 1937.

There are several important themes in Gramsci's work. He emphasizes the importance of cultural factors and leadership for political movements over a deterministic interpretation of economic factors. He also avoids a simplistic "class instrumentalist" conception of the state, i.e. as purely a tool of one class for the domination of other classes.

Gramsci struggled to navigate his party's relationship with the Comintern, believing that a uniform international policy ignored important local conditions. He came to believe that the strategy used by the Bolsheviks in Russia would not work in most western countries which had a more robust state, backed up with cultural tools for achieving the consent of their citizens.

This led him to think deeply about the concept of hegemony. How can the working class create its own culture and intellectuals? How can working class people move beyond their narrow economic interests and make sacrifices in the name of political strategy? How can the working class lead other allied classes (the peasantry)?

Gramsci's writing is challenging at times. It's clearly influenced by Marxism, but also breaks with it in key ways. He made numerous lasting contributions to left wing political thought, including the concepts of hegemony, war of maneuver vs war of position, historical bloc, etc.

I found his emphasis on discipline in the political party to be disagreeable. I think the policy of democratic centralism (internal debate is allowed but public votes must be unanimous to create a sense of unity and ideological clarity) can cause severe problems if internal democracy isn't preserved with the utmost vigilance. If socialism is working class self-emancipation, then all matters should be fully open. Why does the party need to manage/manipulate its relationship with the public? I need to think about this more.