Gramscian thought

 

Imagine you live in a country where freedom of speech is increasingly restricted, education is dominated by an ideology that seeks to destroy traditional values of society, culture is manipulated to promote moral relativism and multiculturalism, the media is controlled by a political party that presents itself as the only defender of the people's interests, the economy is subjected to state interventionism that generates inflation and unemployment, religion is persecuted and ridiculed, family is disorganized and undervalued, violence and corruption are endemic. Would you say that this country is on the verge of a socialist dictatorship?

If you answered yes, you're correct. But do you know the origin of this situation? Do you know who was the main theorist of this strategy of socialist takeover? Do you know what Gramscian thought is?

In the 21st century, many people still believe that the ideologies that defended dictatorships and totalitarian regimes in the past are outdated. However, it is necessary to be alert because some of these ideologies still persist and can manifest in different contexts. One example is Gramscian thought, which has been used by political groups in different parts of the world as a strategy to conquer power and establish a socialist dictatorship.

Antonio Gramsci was an Italian philosopher and politician, born in 1891 and died in 1937. He was one of the founders of the Italian Communist Party and one of the main exponents of Western Marxism. He is considered the father of the theory of cultural hegemony, which consists of the idea that socialists must conquer the domination of the cultural and intellectual institutions of society before attempting a violent revolution.

Gramsci criticized orthodox Marxism for its excessive emphasis on economic class struggle and the dictatorship of the proletariat. He argued that the working class was not able to organize and rebel against capitalism because of the ideological influence of the bourgeoisie, who imposed their worldview as being natural and universal. For Gramsci, the superstructure (the set of political, legal, religious, educational, artistic institutions, etc.) was as important as the infrastructure (the economic mode of production) to determine social relations.

Gramsci proposed that socialists should infiltrate the institutions of the superstructure and promote a gradual and silent change in the values, beliefs, norms, and customs of society. In this way, they could create a new cultural hegemony, a social consensus around socialist ideology. This cultural hegemony would be the basis for the construction of a new socialist political and economic order.

Although this theory was developed almost a century ago, it is still used by political groups seeking power through the conquest of culture and education. These groups infiltrate cultural institutions such as schools, universities, media, and civil society organizations and try to impose their worldview and values, stating that the dominant culture is oppressive and needs to be overcome.

Although Gramscian thought may seem harmless at first glance, it can become dangerous when it becomes a strategy for the conquest of power. Some warning signs that indicate that this strategy is being used include:

• The attempt to impose a new language that excludes and marginalizes those who do not adhere to the group's worldview;
• The demonization of the dominant culture, presenting it as oppressive and intolerant;
• The imposition of values and behaviors that oppose traditional culture;
• The manipulation of education with the aim of indoctrinating students into a particular worldview;
• Censorship of freedom of speech, especially of opinions that oppose the group's worldview;
• The use of violence as a means of imposing the new culture.