On Gramsci in the 21st century.
Sociologist Nathan Sperber and our own George Hoare talk to Alex H and Lee Jones about the new edition to their book, An Introduction to Antonio Gramsci: His Life, Thought and Legacy, which includes a new chapter on Gramsci's relevance to contemporary politics and events and a new section on Gramsci's influence on the New Right. We discuss:
How does this book differ from other introductions to Gramsci?
What is wrong with the post-Marxist, post-colonial or culturalist version of Gramsci?
What are Gramsci's top 3 insights into politics?
How has Gramsci been taken up by the political Right?
How has Gramsci been used and abused by the Left? What to make of the post-Marxist radical democracy of Laclau and Mouffe ("left-populism")?
Why is the concept of the "national-popular" that Gramsci takes from the Jacobins so important to rediscover?