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Prison Notebooks

work by Gramsci
Also known as: “Quaderni del carcere”

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Prison Notebooks is a collection of writings by Antonio Gramsci, an Italian Marxist philosopher and politician, penned during his imprisonment by Benito Mussolini's fascist regime. These writings, published posthumously, delve into a wide-ranging historical and theoretical study of Italian society and strategies for social change.12

Gramsci's work is particularly known for developing the concept of hegemony, which describes the dominance of one group over another, often achieved through intellectual and moral leadership rather than just coercion. He analyzed how capitalist ideas become accepted as common sense, thereby maintaining the status quo. Gramsci's ideas significantly influenced Western Marxist thought and post-World War II communist party strategies.31

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