Gramsci and the Struggle for Democratic Communism

The prominence of Marxist thought in the 20th century sundered the connections between Communism’s essentially democratic ethos and the practices that are necessary to realise that ethos. By turning instead to Antonio Gramsci and situating him in both his own historical context and in ours, this book reconstructs those vital connecting threads. With the rise of the ‘historical bloc’ of neoliberalism and the new global order that it ushered in, Gramsci and the Struggle for Democratic Communism puts this seminal thinker squarely into conversation with the needs of today’s political Left. Gramsci’s commitment to democratic communism is demonstrated throughout this timely account of his work, from his interest in education and fostering of mass critical intelligence to his valuing of the balance between political society and independent civil initiatives. Putting these fundamental beliefs into dialogue with other thinkers from Marx and Lenin to Stuart Hall and Nancy Fraser, this much-needed conversation makes the case for a new understanding of the communist project. This is an essential marrying of two previously opposing interpretations: Eurocommunist Gramsci, distanced from the revolutionary potential of communism; and classical revolutionary Gramsci, revolutionary focus intact at the expense of practical political principles.