Why Reading Antonio Gramsci?
¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Menia Almenia
¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 Dr. Lothian
¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 ENG 985
¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 Analytical Reflection
¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 Assignment # 4
¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 19 November 2013
¶ 8 Leave a comment on paragraph 8 1 Witnessing the current situation in the Middle East and the tragedy of seeing men, women, and children being killed every day as part of the legacy of the Arab Spring, these scenes trigger my academic concerns to pinpoint why it is happening? As my academic concerns of the post-colonialism and neo-colonialism will be the major theme in my dissertation, I believe that reading and teaching Antonio Gramsci’s “Intellectuals and Education” is a helpful tool that assists to identify the context of the Arab world and the reasons behind these civil wars. The school of Gramsci has a great impact on many critics who emphasize on a critical awareness of the necessity of intellectuals being part of our everyday life. As we read in his “Intellectuals and Education”, Gramsci exposed the notion of hegemony that provides us with a way of getting to understand the context we live in and our role as educators can open a chance of critique and transform that context. Before I get to that, we need to know what is the Arab Springs and how does Gramsci’s argument help to identify the reasons of the civil wars?
¶ 9 Leave a comment on paragraph 9 0 As a current situation, Arab Spring refers to the revolutionary protests that have led to several civil wars in the Arab world that began in December 2010. The Arab Springs as you may recall started in Tunisia and followed in other several countries like Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, and Syria. If we think about the reasons of the revolutionary riots that led to the bloody wars; there is know doubt, as it was represented in the media, that protests started as civil resistance as a way to communicate with the authorities and raising awareness in the society. However, the protests have been met with violent responses from authorities and, as a result, it caused several bloody wars. Class variations in these counties created the huge gaps in incomes between local governments that rule these countries and the protesters. Several causes could be the reasons that have led the protests, such as the dictatorship, political corruption, absolute monarchy, extreme poverty and others. Whatever the reasons behind the Arab Spring, the critical analysis of the situation can tell us that these revolutionaries that led to civil wars could be determined if applied to Gramsci’s reading of the social disorder.
¶ 10 Leave a comment on paragraph 10 1 Gramsci introduces his concept of hegemony or the dominant power that makes those who has the power, the ruling class or the bourgeois, convince people to do things that might not be in their best interest into agreeing to their domination. This domination makes the labor class feel the oppression and, therefore, it poses a threat to the dominant class. Gramsci used the term “hegemony” to identifying the political and economical control of a social class over the other. As he describes the dominant class, he presents the notion of the hegemonic ideology that controls the way the working class is seeing the world. However, Gramsci emphasizes on the struggle that will be created in the society. Once the social class identifies the contradiction between the ideology and the social experience, they will create a rejection of the economic system because they saw a struggle for the ideological hegemony.
¶ 11 Leave a comment on paragraph 11 0 Reading Gramsci’s concept of the organic intellectuals shows that he gave an essential role for ideology to securing hegemony. It seems that he is aware of the existence of the ideological systems; therefore, he focuses his writings on the role of education. His article shows his interest of organic intellectuals’ effort as a human activity, and in the relationship of the working intellectuals to the achievement of the revolutionary change. As I read Gramsci’s “Intellectuals and education”, I find the following passage is very important to this matter as he distinguishes between hegemony and domination as the two major superstructural levels: “civil society” group of the organisms that is called “private” and the political society that is called “the state”:
¶ 12 Leave a comment on paragraph 12 0 The intellectuals are the dominant group’s ‘deputies’ exercising the subaltern functions of social hegemony and political government. These comprise:
- ¶ 13 Leave a comment on paragraph 13 0
- The ‘spontaneous consent given by the great masses of the population to the general direction imposed on social life by the dominant fundamental group; this consent is ‘historically’ caused by the prestige which the dominant group enjoys because of its position and function in the world of production.
- The apparatus of state coercive power which ‘legally’ enforces discipline on those groups who do not ‘consent’ either actively or passively. This apparatus is, however, constituted for the whole society in anticipation of moments of crisis of command and direction when spontaneous consent had failed. (306-307)
¶ 14 Leave a comment on paragraph 14 0 When I read these notions that Gramsci is talking about here, I felt that Gramsci is reading our history and he is giving causes and effects of the situation in the Middle East. This passage portrays how the working intellectuals would reach a moment of crisis as they seek a revolutionary change once the dominant fundamental group status has failed.
¶ 15 Leave a comment on paragraph 15 0 Every Arab country has their dominant superstructure over their society and what is happening in the Arab Springs can be seen as a result of the clash between the two groups, working and ruling classes. Applying Gramsci’ concept of hegemony to analyze the situation in every Arab country that has intervened in the civil wars can tell us that crisis between classes has reach its peak and led to these bloody wars. Based on what we have seen in these countries, the working class started the series of protests as an act of social awakening from the dictatorship practiced by the dominant power and developed to the worst level.
¶ 16 Leave a comment on paragraph 16 0 My identity as a Saudi student from the Arab world requires me to write about the current situation in the Middle East. As we read Gramsci in this course, I was able to find the right answers for many of my inquiries. This particular text has given me the chance to have a clear vision of the station in the Arab world. Reading Gramsci’s text in this class helped me to identify who am I in the academia? And what is my responsibility when I go home and stand in front of my students?
¶ 17 Leave a comment on paragraph 17 0
¶ 18 Leave a comment on paragraph 18 0 Works Cited
¶ 19 Leave a comment on paragraph 19 0 Antonio Gramsci, “Intellectuals and Education.” From An Antonio Gramsci Reader: Selected Writings 1916-1935. Ed. David Forgacs. New York: Schocken Books, 1988. 300-322.
I can see the parallels you are drawing here very clearly between Gramsci and the Arab Spring. It makes sense that a theory of social disorder should fit well with a group of revolutionary protests.
I also really liked how you positioned the idea that it is the contradiction, or rather when people notice a discrepancy between an ideology and the lived experience that unrest happens, the ideology is rejected as not “true” but a scam benefiting those who have.
The ideas of hegemony and dominance also play out well in your outlines of the politics (unfortunately, I’m not well enough read in politics to offer anything more discerning than that). Hegemony really works as a divide and conquer, with groups disciplined into the majority which then maintains the majority against other groups.
So now you have a pretty good comparison between Gramsci’s political concepts and the real world politics of the area you’re from. I think the next question is, what is to be done about it? Gramsci himself talks about education and intellectual activity as a way through. Do you see this as a correct response to Arab Springs? How would it work or what is to be done with it? How do you see this as shaping (or not) your own teaching or plans for the future?
And, it seems perfectly valuable to me to come out of this reflection with a few good questions, or even just the one you end with – what your responsibility will be before your students. Perhaps it is even more valuable than coming out with answers (I have sometimes found myself in this position).