Gramsci

Intro: Gramsci was a contemporary of Mussolini. In his Prison notebooks, he gives the concept
of integral state with the civil society, economic structure and the state
Age 1930-1945 - Contemporary of Mussolini
Place Italy
 Worried that Marxist predictions not coming true
 People preferred conservatives like Mussolini
Concern  Wanted to re-analyse Marx’s understanding of history
 Benedetto Croce —> Cultural Factors in shaping history

School of Thought Father of Neo-Marxist; multi-structuralist

 Benedetto Croce
 Machiavelli
 Karl Marx
Influences o More profound thinker than Marx
o Clever strategist than Marx
o Similarities with Gandhi

 Prison Notebooks
Books
 Cultural Hegemony
Key Principles

Explanation of history

MARX

 Historical materialism - economic structure = basic structure of society

 Others - Superstructure - no independent existence - roots in Base, reflection of base
 Change in history —> Economic str changes - One revolution — Once econ changes - others would automatically
change

GRAMSCI

 Marx not given enough importance to Superstructure — Taken for granted

 Need to understand the role of superstructure - in understanding history - “Theoretician of Super structures”

Impact of Gramsci’s treatment of superstructure on Marxism

 Marx - mono-causal explanation — for change in history — economic determinism

 Gramsci saved marxism from economic determinism — takes into account role of other factors
 Was further reaffirmed by structural Marxist scholar ALTHUSSER who gave three structures of society having two-way causality,
 instead of economic level determining everything.

Gramsci’s Model of History

 3 layered model — Superstructures are structures in themselves

o STATE
o CIVIL SOCIETY
o ECONOMIC STR.

Insits of superstr are not just the reflection but structures in themselves
Relatively autonomous

 Structuralism — approach in social sciences — influenced my Modern Philosophy

 Structure = Fundamentals
 Marx - structuralist
o To understand society scientifically — tried to understand the basic str of society
 Gramsci
o Econ str not the only str. — Gave 3 structures
o Integral state = Civil society + State
o N. Bobbio called him ‘theoretician of superstructure’.

Role of state

 Acc to Marx - work in the interest of capitalist class — so workers should capture the state
 Gramsci - Integral state - Includes civil society — acts as an instrument of dominant class —
o acts as a part of state

Role of civil society

 Appears as neutral
 More closely aligned with base— acts as a cushion or fortress to protect interests of the bourgeoise class
 2 types of states
o Transparent states —> Civil society absent — exploitative nature of state is visible, Czar
o Opaque state —> Civil society is present — exploitation of state becomes invisible, west
 Civil society — plays a role in maintaining - “Hegemony of Bourgeoise class”
 Only when civil society fails — state comes into picture

What does civil society do?

 Manufactures consent in the favour of the dominant class

 Power is the ability to get things done from others
 Types of powers
o Fear - Power of coercion — Through police
o Love - Power of attraction — Through the civil society
 Bourgeoise class - maintain their domination by both
  Bigger role of Attraction — HEGEMONY

What is HEGEMONY?

 It is an ideology
 It is the soft power
 Ideological domination
 Hegemony of capitalism as a way of life
 Workers don’t hate capitalism — hate that they are not capitalists
 Attraction towards Bourgeoise way of life — control over the thought process of workers
 Values of dominant class become common sense
 When attraction towards capitalism — cannot revolt against it.
 Through hegemony — Manufacture of consent

Revolution acc to Gramsci

 So ==> Material revolution will make no difference without mental revolution

 M.N. Roy also talked about mental revolution
 2 Step Revolution
o War of Position —> against civil society — Developing Counter Hegemony —
 Hegemony of Subaltern class
 Gandhi’s satyagraha
o War of Manoeuvre —> Direct attack on state — after the counter hegemony is established
 1942 Quit India
 Gandhian movement is called a Gramscian movement
 Historical bloc – coalition of classes.

Intellectuals

 Marx
o Critical of role of intellectuals.
o Criticizes superiority of intellectual labour over manual labour.
o Workers should develop consciousness on their own.
 Lenin
o Role of intellectuals
 GRAMSCI - Biased role of intellectuals — Nexus between Intellectuals class and dominant class
 Considered as neutral — tell the truth — high degree of respect in the society
 Intellectuals are deputies of the dominant class
 Ideas of the ruling class == Ruling ideas
 Role in manufacturing consent
 2 groups
o Organic intellectuals
 In reference to rise in capitalism
 With emergence of capitalism —> Other classes besides capitalists also came into existence
 Supervisors, engineers, public servants - fulfil diff functions associated with capitalist economy
 In case of India — British —civil servants
  Played an important role in maintaining the domination of British
 Similarly OI - promote such values — support domination of bourgeois class
o Traditional Intellectuals
 In reference to capitalism
 Existed before capitalism — Church fathers
 Feudal society —> Promoting values supporting aristocracy — resisted change
 But once Capitalist society got established — Started supporting the capitalist class
 Capitalist class integrated them also
 Zamindars
 Capitalist class - maintained its domination — By Coalition of Classes — who may not have
o identical but common interests
 So suggests - working class to develop a coalition of classes — Coalition of Subaltern class
o Have some organic intellectuals of their own - technicians and supervisors
o Some traditional ones also
 Gandhian movement was called a Gramscian movement as it was a long draw out struggle against the British
hegemony, with Gandhi as the organic intellectual of the Indian masses.
 Similarly, Ambedkar emerged as an organic intellectual for Dalits.
 Acc to G - All men are intellectuals, but all do not perform the role of intellectuals
o Every work requires some amount of intellectual labour — no work is fully manual
o However, some intellectuals — specific function of manufacturing consent.
 Naom Chomsky in his article, “the responsibility of intellectual” gave similar analysis. Support power
o Systems and justified atrocities.

Criticism of Gramsci

 Louis Althusser presented the theory of ideological state apparatus.

 There is complex relationship among different organs of state.
 He agrees with hegemony of Gramsci, however rejects the absolute historicism of Gramsci.
 According to Althusser, state possesses ideological apparatus like Parliament representing
sovereign will of people. This increases legitimacy of government. Thus ideology is not the sole
preserve of civil society and is not monolithic.