Political Hegemony and Social Complexity:Mechanisms of Power after Gramsci

Williams, Alexander (2019) Political Hegemony and Social Complexity:Mechanisms of Power after Gramsci. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-3-030-19794-0

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Abstract

How can we understand power in a world of ever-growing complexity? This book proposes that we can do so by rethinking the theory and practice of political hegemony through the resources of complexity theory. Taking Gramsci’s understanding of hegemony as its starting point, the book argues that the intricacies of contemporary power can be mapped by applying concepts drawn from complexity theory, such as emergence, self-organisation, metastability, and generative entrenchment. It develops an original account of social complexity, drawing upon critical realist sociology, analytic philosophy of science, Marxist and continental philosophies, and neoliberal and anarchist thought. It then draws out the elements of Gramscian hegemony that already align with complexity concepts, such as the balance of forces, common sense, and the historic bloc. On this basis, the book sets out the different dimensions of complex hegemonic power before using this theory to interpret the nature of the power of neoliberalism since 2008.

Item Type: Book
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Political, Social and International Studies
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Cultural Politics, Communications & Media
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 30 Apr 2019 08:30
Last Modified: 21 Jul 2023 09:18
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/70744
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-19795-7

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