Overview

Widely seen as among the most influential Italian thinkers of all time, Antonio Gramsci's highly original Marxism continues to be studied across the globe, even after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Gramsci and Languages offers an explanation of this originality and traces the origins of certain features of Gramsci's political thought by looking at his lifelong interest in language

Full Product Details

Author:   Alessandro Carlucci
Publisher:   Haymarket Books
Imprint:   Haymarket Books
Volume:   Volume 59
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.389kg
ISBN:  

9781608464135

ISBN 10:   160846413
Pages:   264
Publication Date:   10 March 2015
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction Linguistic reflections as an integral part of Gramsci’s legacy Modern linguistics and the philosophy of praxis Towards a better understanding of Gramsci’s views 1. The limited number of writings usually considered 2. The risks involved in neglecting Gramsci’s biography 3. Identifying sources and cultural links: a productive trend in recent research 4. Linguistic themes and the debates on Gramsci’s Leninism Diversity and unification: a few considerations in conclusion 1. Experiencing Linguistic Diversity and Cultural Unification 1.1. Sardinian in Gramsci’s life 1.2. Gramsci’s correspondence 1.3. The Sardinian years 1.4. Turin 1.5. The Sassari Brigade in Turin, April-July 1919 1.5.1. The arrival of the Brigade 1.5.2. The editorial board of L’Ordine Nuovo 1.5.3. The successful campaign among Sardinian soldiers 1.6. From Turin to the prison years 1.7. Gramsci’s views on national linguistic unification 1.7.1. ‘Every individual ... is a philosopher’ 1.7.2. The shortcomings of monolingualism 1.7.3. Final remarks 2. Influences and Differences: The Formation of Gramsci’s Views 2.1. Gramsci’s direct and indirect sources in language studies 2.2. Echoes of Saussure’s ideas 2.2.1. Grammar 2.2.2. Metaphors 2.2.3. Language planning 2.2.4. The penetration of Saussurean concepts into Italian intellectual culture 2.2.5. A possible channel of transmission: the Cours in Russia, 1917-1925 2.2.6. Final remarks 2.3. Language and social classes 2.3.1. Sociological linguistics and the Marxist critique of language 2.3.2. Bukharin 2.3.3. Sociolinguistic variation and the national question in the USSR 2.3.4. Grammar and language education for the popular masses 2.3.5. Final remarks 2.4. Glottopolitical aspects of Lenin’s influence 2.4.1. Early Marxist approaches to language policies: Marx and Engels 2.4.2. The Second International 2.4.3. Lenin 2.4.4. Did Gramsci know Lenin’s ideas on language? 2.4.5. Affinities 2.4.6. Jewish autonomy: a case of partial divergence 2.4.7. Final remarks 2.5. Rationalising and unifying linguistic communication 2.5.1. Soviet Esperantism 2.5.2. Proletarian culture 2.5.3. Sources and periodisation 2.5.4. Continuity and consistency of Gramsci’s glottopolitical views 2.5.5. Final remarks: Soviet inputs and the development of Gramsci’s views 3. Political Implications 3.1. Gramsci and the linguistics of his time 3.2. Language and politics in Gramsci’s writings 3.3. The role of linguistic themes in shaping Gramsci’s politics 3.3.1. Necessary conditions 3.3.2. Centres of irradiation 3.3.3. The Jacobins 3.3.4. Language and hegemony 3.4. Gramsci’s specificity 3.4.1. A man ‘in flesh and blood’ 3.4.2. Gramsci’s Marxism 3.4.3. Final remarks Conclusions: Gramscian Links between Language and Politics Gramsci in linguistics... ...and linguistics in Gramsci Appendix: Gramsci’s Legacy, 1937–2007 4.1. The reception of Gramsci’s writings: the letters 4.2. Lost, unpublished and recently published material 4.2.1. Matteo Bartoli’s glottology course of 1912–13 4.2.2. Gramsci’s translation of Finck’s work 4.2.3. Gramsci’s comments on Panzini’s Italian grammar 4.2.4. Early work on Manzoni 4.3. Pre-prison writings and prison notes 4.4. Gramsci’s writings on language 4.5. Gramsci and linguistic disciplines 4.5.1. Early research 4.5.2. Exploring Gramsci’s ideas on language 4.5.3. Using Gramsci’s ideas on language 4.5.4. Gramsci’s influence and its limits: some examples 4.5.5. Final remarks References Index

Reviews

With this book, Carlucci makes a significant contribution to the growing international scholarship and debates on Gramsci. The originality of Gramsci and Languages lies mainly in its ability to recast three fundamental aspects of Gramsci s political, intellectual and personal biography: the role of Sardinia, the influence of Italian and European historical linguistics on the development of Gramsci s thought, as well as his encounter with Bolshevism and Lenin s thought. Giuseppe Vacca, President of the Fondazione Istituto Gramsci. Carlucci s study is a meticulous and at times brilliant exploration of Gramsci s relationship with the linguistic question a very enjoyable and informative read for anyone passionate about Gramscian matters, and about language in a social context more generally. Neelam Srivastava, Senior Lecturer in Postcolonial Literature at Newcastle University, H-Italy. Gramsci and Languages is a very important addition to contemporary studies on Gramsci. It should be of interest also to philosophers (and philosophers of language in particular), and to scholars in social, cultural, and political studies. Piotr Stalmaszczyk, Professor of English and General Linguistics at the University of Lodz, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books. This is a fascinating study of how Gramsci s interest in language shaped his politics and political theory. The reader will find important, newly discovered material on the influence of both Saussure and Soviet scholars of the 1920s. This book gives the clearest and most up to date account of Gramsci the philologist as well as the political activist, and adds to our knowledge of the Sardinian s life in the Soviet Union in the early 1920s. Carl Levy, Professor of Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London So much partial or misdirected work has recently appeared in English that appropriates Gramsci for its putative authority that Alessandro Carlucci (in Gramsci and Languages: Unification, Diversity, Hegemony ) has done yeoman work providing new background and readings of the still untranslated parts of The Prison Notebooks (Lawrence & Wishart [1971]) to show about Gramsci s lifelong interest in the interplay of culture, politics, and language. Stephen Shapiro, University of Warwick, The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory, Oxford University Press, 2014.

With this book, Carlucci makes a significant contribution to the growing international scholarship and debates on Gramsci. The originality of Gramsci and Languages lies mainly in its ability to recast three fundamental aspects of Gramsci's political, intellectual and personal biography: the role of Sardinia, the influence of Italian and European historical linguistics on the development of Gramsci's thought, as well as his encounter with Bolshevism and Lenin's thought. --Giuseppe Vacca, President of the Fondazione Istituto Gramsci. Gramsci and Languages is a very important addition to contemporary studies on Gramsci. It should be of interest also to philosophers (and philosophers of language in particular), and to scholars in social, cultural, and political studies. --Piotr Stalmaszczyk, Professor of English and General Linguistics at the University of Lodz, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books. This is a fascinating study of how Gramsci's interest in language shaped his politics and political theory. The reader will find important, newly discovered material on the influence of both Saussure and Soviet scholars of the 1920s. This book gives the clearest and most up to date account of Gramsci the philologist as well as the political activist, and adds to our knowledge of the Sardinian's life in the Soviet Union in the early 1920s. --Carl Levy, Professor of Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London So much partial or misdirected work has recently appeared in English that appropriates Gramsci for its putative authority that Alessandro Carlucci (in Gramsci and Languages: Unification, Diversity, Hegemony ) has done yeoman work providing new background and readings of the still untranslated parts of The Prison Notebooks (Lawrence & Wishart [1971]) to show about Gramsci's lifelong interest in the interplay of culture, politics, and language --Stephen Shapiro, University of Warwick, The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory, Oxford University Press, 2014.

With this book, Carlucci makes a significant contribution to the growing international scholarship and debates on Gramsci. The originality of Gramsci and Languages lies mainly in its ability to recast three fundamental aspects of Gramsci's political, intellectual and personal biography: the role of Sardinia, the influence of Italian and European historical linguistics on the development of Gramsci's thought, as well as his encounter with Bolshevism and Lenin's thought. --Giuseppe Vacca, President of the Fondazione Istituto Gramsci. Gramsci and Languages is a very important addition to contemporary studies on Gramsci. It should be of interest also to philosophers (and philosophers of language in particular), and to scholars in social, cultural, and political studies. --Piotr Stalmaszczyk, Professor of English and General Linguistics at the University of Lodz, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books. This is a fascinating study of how Gramsci's interest in language shaped his politics and political theory. The reader will find important, newly discovered material on the influence of both Saussure and Soviet scholars of the 1920s. This book gives the clearest and most up to date account of Gramsci the philologist as well as the political activist, and adds to our knowledge of the Sardinian's life in the Soviet Union in the early 1920s. --Carl Levy, Professor of Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London

Author Information

Alessandro Carlucci (PhD) is Lector in Italian at the University of Oxford. He has published widely on Gramsci, and is the editor of New Approaches to Gramsci: Language, Philosophy and Politics, special issue of the Journal of Romance Studies (2012).

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions