Gramsci is Dead Anarchist Currents in the Newest Social Movements

If revolutionary politics are to be reconstituted for the twenty-first century, all previously existing radical traditions must not only be remade but placed in new relationships with one another. The anarchism of Richard Day?s brilliant Gramsci is Dead is not only an explosive break-out from the demoralizing horizons of contemporary social democracy, but also an exuberant intellectual dance-invitation extended to all mutant Marxists, autonomists and species-being activists eager to catch the strains of a new tune: Red Emma would be proud."

Nick Dyer-Witheford, Associate Professor, University of Western Ontario and author of Cyber-Marx (1999)



Gramsci and the concept of hegemony cast a long shadow over radical political theory. Yet how far has this theory got us? Is it still central to feminism, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, anarchism, and other radical social movements today?



Unlike previous revolutionary movements, Day argues, most contemporary radical social movements do not strive to take control of the state. Instead, they attempt to develop new forms of self-organisation that can run in parallel with -- or as alternatives to -- existing forms of social, political, and economic organization. This is to say that they follow a logic of affinity rather than one of hegemony.



This book draws together a variety of different strands in political theory to weave together an

innovative new approach to politics today. Rigorous and wide-ranging, Day introduces and interrogates key concepts. From Hegel's concept of recognition, through theories of hegemony and affinity to Hardt and Negri's reflections on Empire, Day maps academia's theoretical and philosophical concerns onto today's politics of the street.



Ideal for all students of political theory, Day's fresh approach combines Marxist, Anarchist and

Post-structuralist theory to shed new light on the politics and practice of contemporary social

movements.
Introduction

1. Doing It Yourself: Direct Action Currents In Contemporary Radical Activism

2. Tracking The Hegemony Of Hegemony: Classical Marxism And Liberalism

3. Tracking The Hegemony Of Hegemony: Postmarxism And The New Social Movements

4. Utopian Socialism Then ?

5. ? And Now

6. Ethics, Affinity, And The Coming Communities

7. Conclusion: Utopian Socialism Again And Again

Notes

References