Episode #131 - Antonio Gramsci on Cultural Hegemony
Antonio Gramsci on Cultural Hegemony
In this episode, the podcast explores the political philosophy of Antonio Gramsci, focusing on his theory of cultural hegemony as a response to the failures of Marx’s predicted proletarian revolution. Gramsci argued that control in modern societies is not maintained through overt violence but through cultural norms that shape people's perceptions of reality. By normalizing the values and structures of the dominant class, cultural hegemony convinces citizens to see their social conditions as natural and unchangeable. This explains why many accept economic hardship without protest. Gramsci distinguishes between "ruling intellectuals," who reinforce the status quo, and "organic intellectuals," who emerge from the working class to challenge dominant ideologies. He stresses that true social change requires a "war of position"—a long-term cultural struggle to redefine common sense—before any "war of maneuver," or revolution, can succeed. Ultimately, Gramsci calls for a critical, historically aware public that questions the legitimacy of existing power structures rather than accepting them as inevitable.
Further Reading:
Hegemony and Revolution: Antonio Gramsci's Political and Cultural Theory by Walter L. Adamson (2014)
Gramsci, Culture and Anthropology by Kate Crehan (2002)
To Live Is to Resist: The Life of Antonio Gramsci by Jean-Yves Frétigné (2021)
See the full transcript here.
