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Gramsci's unorthodox Marxism: political ambiguity and sociological relevance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2016

Darrow Schecter*
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
*

Abstract

Gramsci's work continues to enjoy popularity amongst academics and activists. There is nonetheless a real question about the relevance of his central political ideas for the twenty-first century. This paper defends the thesis that Gramsci's humanism is part of a long tradition of political thought which dates back to Machiavelli, and that although this national-popular humanism is now outdated for reasons which are suggested in the writings and films of Pier Paolo Pasolini, there is also a sociological component to Gramsci's theorising that retains resonance today.

Il pensiero di Gramsci continua ad essere molto popolare sia tra gli storici sia tra gli attivisti politici. Esiste un dibattito in merito alla rilevanza odierna delle sue principali teorie. Questo saggio sostiene che l'umanesimo politico di Gramsci è la continuazione di un pensiero politico che risale al Macchiavelli e che, nonostante questo tipo di umanesimo ‘nazional-popolare’ possa dirsi sorpassato, come suggerito da Pier Paolo Pasolini in taluni scritti e films, la componente sociologica delle teorie gramsciane è tuttora per più aspetti valida sia dal punto di vista analitico che da quello politico.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Association for the study of Modern Italy 

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