Gramsci's Politics of Language: Engaging the Bakhtin Circle and the Frankfurt School
Antonio Gramsci and his concept of hegemony have permeated social and political theory, cultural studies, education studies, literary criticism, international relations, and post-colonial theory. The centrality of language and linguistics to Gramsci's thought, however, has been wholly neglected. In Gramsci's Politics of Language, Peter Ives argues that a university education in linguistics and a preoccupation with Italian language politics were integral to the theorist's thought. Ives...
Search in google:
While most of the 13,000-plus books and articles on Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci focus on his general perspective, his politics, and his social analysis, Ives' (politics, U. of Winnipeg) concern is Gramsci's explicit discussion of language. Following a reexamination of Gramsci's main concepts, including hegemony, the author compares Gramsci's writings on language to the Bakhtin Circle, Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Jürgen Habermas. These comparisons help reveal a complete theory of language evidenced in Gramsci's writings and underscore a unique approach to several key issues involving Marxism and language. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
