Political Hegemony and Social Complexity: Mechanisms of Power After Gramsci

by Alex Williams

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030197971
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	05/30/2019
Series:	International Political Theory
Edition description:	1st ed. 2020
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Alex Williams is a lecturer in the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies at the University of East Anglia, UK. His work focuses on power, technology, and strategy. He is the co-author of Inventing the Future (with N. Srnicek, 2015) and Hegemony Now (with J. Gilbert, forthcoming).

Table of Contents

1 Introduction.- 2 Complexity from the Sciences to Social Systems.- 3 Emergence and the Reality of Social Structure.- 4 Complexity & Political Dynamics.- 5 Ideologies of Self-Organisation.- 6 Gramscian Hegemony.- 7 Post-Structuralist Hegemony.- 8 Theorising Complex Hegemony.- 9 The Politics of Complex Hegemony.- 10 The Complex Hegemony of Neoliberalism.- 11 Conclusion.- Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This is an excellent introduction to the politics of hegemony in an age of complexity. It provides useful insights into both theories by bringing them into critical relation to one another in a novel way. The book makes a strong contribution to the fields of politics and social theory.” (Jonathan Joseph, Professor of Politics and International Relations, University of Bristol, UK)

“Hegemony remains an essential concept, without which we cannot make rational sense of political, cultural or social change and stability. Implicitly or explicitly, understandings of hegemony since Gramsci have always been informed by the attempt to map social complexity, and to intervene in it. But no prior work has tackled this subject so directly, or with such clarity and rigour. This book constitutes a remarkably significant contribution to social and political theory, while offering a unique an invaluable perspective on our times.” (Jeremy Gilbert, Professor of Cultural and Political Theory, University of East London, UK)