Home
“If one wants to study the conception of a world-view that has not been exposed systematically by its author (and whose essential coherence is to be found not in a single essay or in a series of essays, but in the entire development of all his intellectual work, in which the elements of such view of the world are implicit), we need to do careful, preliminarily philological work, carried out with the greatest scruples of exactness, of scientific honesty, of intellectual loyalty, and without preconceptions or prejudice.” Taking as a starting point Gramsci’s note from notebook 16 § 2, this course proposes a philological reading of the fragmentary Prison Notebooks to reconstruct the “world-view” implicit in such Gramscian concepts as hegemony, praxis, Renaissance, Reformation, popular literature, Americanism and subaltern.
Syllabus
Week 1 (January 25): Introduction
Antonio Gramsci, “The Revolution against Capital”; “Our Marx”; “Some Aspects of the Southern Question”, available here.
Week 2 (February 1): Notebooks 1-4
Further Selection, pp. 9-13; 16-17; 24-25; 40-42; 59; 74-75; 113-114; 117-118; 147-148; 153; 154-156; 207-209; 231; 254-5; 259; 293-294; 417
Selection from the Prison Notebooks, pp. 223-233; 272-276; 196-200
Selection from Cultural Writings, pp. 131-132; 150-153; 167-171; 173-175; 216-217; 255-257; 260-264; 273; 282-285; 326-327; 345-346
Focus on:
Notebook 1 §47, §51, §52, §128, §133, §134, §154;
Notebook 3 §2, §4, §5, §7, §9, §25, §26, §33, §34, §42, §46, §48, §49, §50, §53, §55, §56, §74, §76, §77, §82, §88, §119, §140, §145, §155, §160, 164
Notebook 4 §61, §75, §76, §77, §78, §79, §80, §81, §82, §83, §84, §85, §87, §93
Week 3 (February 8): Notebooks 5-9
Continuation.
Week 4 (February 22): Notebooks 5-9
Selection from Cultural Writings, pp. 103-104; 107-108; 110; 115-116; 119-121; 137-140; 175-178; 194-195; 222-237; 249-251; 262-266; 269-271; 273-276; 278-282; 285-286; 291-293; 306-309; 311-313; 330; 332-335; 338-340; 346-353; 363-364; 377-379; 390-403
Further Selection, pp. 8-9; 13-14; 17-23; 35-40; 42; 45-49; 59-60; 72-76; 94-95; 100-102; 104-105; 107-116; 118-132; 134-6; 140-145; 147; 150-153; 163-164; 180-182; 184-189; 196; 198-199; 214-218; 233-235; 241-248; 256; 259-260; 262-263; 267-277; 281-283; 319-322; 378-380; 435-439; 442-445; 448-449; 557-558
Selection from the Prison Notebooks, pp. 17; 139-140; 173-175; 194-196; 200-202; 208; 228-229; 236-239; 245-253; 257-265; 267-274; 270-272; 346; 354-357; 362; 366; 374-377; 381-2; 402-3; 407-410
Focus on:
Notebook 5 §7, §8, §9, §15, §17, §18, §22, §23, §27, §32, §38, §39, §41, §47, §50, §51, §53, §54, §57, §59, §66, §70, §71, §85, §86, §89, §90, §94, §104, §105, §123, §127, §134, §151, §154, §156
Notebook 6 §10, §11, §12, §20, §22, §24, §24, §26, §27, §29, §32, §39, §40, §41, §42, §44, §48, §49, §62, §64, §71, §73, §75, §78, §79, §81, §82, §84, §86, §87, §88, §90, §107, §109, §112, §117, §120, §123, §124, §130, §133, §134, §135, §136, §137, §138, §139, §147, §151, §152, §155, §156, §157, §163, §164, §165, §168, §178, §179, §180, §183, §187, §188, §190, §195, §201, §206, §207, §208, §211
Notebook 7 §4, §11, §12, §16, §18, §19, §21, §23, §24, §27, §30, §32, §33, §35, §38, §40, §44, §45, §50, §62, §64, §69, §71, §78, §79, §80, §88, §89, §90, §94, §96, §98, §104
§105
Notebook 8 §2, §3, §9, §11, §16, §22, §46, §47, §52, §57, §62, §72, §80, §87, §89, §90, §92, §97, §98, §104, §105, §111, §122, §129, §130, §131iiNotebook 8, §132, §141, §145, §155, §160, §162, §165, §166, §179, §182, §185, §188, §189, §190, §193, §195, §210, §212, §216, §236
Notebook 9 §2, §15, §23, §32, §59, §61, §63, §66, §67, §87, §119Notebook 9, §134
Week 5 (February 29): Notebooks 10-12
Further Selection, pp. 99; 145-7; 156-160; 164-173; 176-180; 182-4; 189-90; 226-229; 285-304; 306-313; 315-319; 328-361; 366-377; 379; 382-435; 439; 441; 445-475
Selection from the Prison Notebooks, pp. 5-23; 26-43; 114-120; 208; 323-354; 357-60; 362-376; 386-8; 399-402; 402-407; 410-14; 418--472
Focus on:
Notebook 10I Preface, §1, §2, §3, §4, §5, §6, §7, §8, §9, §10, §11, §12, §13
Notebook 10II Preface, §1, §2, §4, §5, §6i, §6ii, §6iii, §6iv, §7, §8, §9, §10, §11, §12, §13, §14, §15, §15, §16, §17, §18, §20, §22, §23, §24, §25, §26, §27, §28i, §28ii, §29i, §29ii, §30, §31i, §31ii, §32, §33, §34, §35, §36, §37i, §37ii, §38i, §38ii, §39, §40, §41i, §41i, §41ii, §41iii, §41iv, §41iv, §41iv, §41ix, §41v, §41vi, §41vii, §41viii, §41x, §41xi, §41xii, §41xiii, §41xiv, §41xv, §41xvi, §42, §44, §44, §46, §47, §47, §48i, §48ii, §50ii, §52, §53, §54, §55, §56, §57, §58, §59i, §59ii, §59iii, §59iv, §60, §61
Notebook 11 §1, §5, §6, §12, §13, §14, §15, §16, §17, §18, §19, §20, §21, §22, §24, §25, §26, §27, §28, §29, §30, §31, §32, §33, §34, §35, §36, §37, §38, §39, §40, §41, §42, §43, §44, §45, §46, §47, §48, §49, §50, §51, §52, §53, §54, §58, §59, §61, §62, §63, §64, §65, §66, §67, §69, §70
Notebook 12 §1, §2, §3
Some useful readings to contextualize Notebook 10: Angelo De Gennaro, The Philosophy of Benedetto Croce, esp. chapters "Prestige"; "positivism and Idealism"; "Aesthetics"; "Historiography"; "Politics". Antonio Labriola, "Socialism and Philosophy."
Week 6 (March 7): Notebooks 13-16
Selection from Cultural Writings, pp. 99-102; 108-112; 117-19; 124-133; 140-145; 203-6; 236-7; 257-9; 266-7; 294-297; 340-1; 355-9; 377; 379-385; 403-408
Further Selection, pp. 25-28; 43-44; 55-71; 92- 94; 97-100; 102-106; 137; 151-154; 174-176; 181-182; 219-226; 243-246; 256-258; 266-267; 273-274; 284-285; 303; 314-315; 323-324; 380-382; 439-442; 461-462
Selection from the Prison Notebooks, pp. 104-114; 125-148; 150-194; 202-205; 210-226; 240-247; 253-257; 265-266; 269-270; 361-365; 382-386; 388-599; 414-418
Focus on:
Notebook 13 §1, §2, §7, §8, §10, §11, §13, §14, §16, §17, §18, §20, §21, §23, §24, §27, §28, §29, §30, §31, §33, §36, §37, §38, §40
Notebook 14 §1, §2, §5, §13, §15, §17, §18, §19, §20, §21, §23, §25, §26, §28, §34, §35, §36, §38i, §38i, §39, §41, §45, §49, §52, §55, §56, §57, §59, §60, §61, §62, §64, §65, §67, §68, §70, §71, §72, §73, §74, §76, §80
Notebook 15 §1, §2, §3, §4, §5, §6, §7, §10, §11, §14, §15, §16ii, §17, §18, §20, §22, §25, §26, §29, §30, §33, §36, §37, §38, §40, §41, §42, §43, §44, §45, §46, §50, §53, §58, §59, §61, §62, §64, §74
Notebook 16 §1, §2, §3, §5, §9, §10, §11i, §11ii, §13, §14, §16, §21, §26
Week 9 (March 14)
SPRING RECESS
Week 8 (March 21): Notebooks 17-20
Selection from Cultural Writings, pp. 217-222; 241-249; 272-273; 313-314; 375-277Further Selection, pp. 21-2; 28-35; 76-92; 96-97; 237-239; 248-53; 253-4; 261; 283-284; 305; 313-314; 324-325; 423-4
Selection from the Prison Notebooks, pp. 55-104; 148-150; 266-267; 372-373
Focus on:
Notebook 17 §1, §3, §8, §9, §12, §13, §15, §16, §18iii, §22, §23, §24, §29, §36, §37, §44, §51, §52, §53
Notebook 19 §5, §6, §7, §11, §19, §24, §26, §27, §28
Notebook 20 §1, §2, §3, §4i, §4ii, §4iii, §4iv, §4v
Week 10 (March 28): Notebooks 21-24
No class today, but please reading the following.Selection from Cultural Writings, pp. 91-99; 102-103; 112-115; 122-123; 133-134; 146; 171-173; 199-202; 206-216; 252-255; 264-265; 267-269; 271-272; 277-278; 288-291; 293-294; 301-306; 309-311; 315-326; 328-331; 335-337; 353-355; 359-362; 364-375; 408-425
Selection from the Prison Notebooks, pp. 279-318
Focus on:
Notebook 21 §1, §2, §3, §4, §5, §6, §7, §8, §10, §12, §13, §14
Notebook 22 §1, §2, §3, §4, §5, §6, §8, §9, §10, §11, §12, §13, §14, §15
Notebook 23 §1, §2, §3, §5, §6, §7, §8, §9, §10, §13, §14, §16, §18, §20, §22, §23, §24, §25, §26, §29, §30, §31, §34, §35, §36, §37, §39, §40, §41, §42, §44, §47, §48, §50, §51, §57
Notebook 24 §1, §2, §3, §4, §5, §6, §7, §8, §9
Week 11 (April 4): Notebooks 25-29
Selection from Cultural Writings, pp. 179-194; 238-241
Further Selection, pp. 23-24; 50-55
Selection from the Prison Notebooks, pp. 52-55; 261-262
Focus on:
Notebook 25 §1, §2, §5, §7
Notebook 26 §6, §11
Notebook 27 §1, §2
Notebook 29 §1, §2, §3, §4, §5, §6, §7
Week 12 (April 11)
Ajit Chaudhuri, “From Hegemony to Counter-Hegemony: A Journey in a Non-Imaginary Unreal Space.” Economic and Political Weekly 23.5 (1988): PE19-PE23Chatterjee, Partha. "On Gramsci's 'Fundamental Mistake'." Economic and Political Weekly 23.5 (1988): PE24-PE26.
Zene, Cosimo. "Self-Consciousness of the Dalits as “Subalterns”: Reflections on Gramsci in South Asia." Rethinking Marxism 23/1 (2011)
Week 13 (April 18)
Louis Althusser, “To My English Reader,” in For Marx.Louis Althusser, “Marxism is not a Historicism,” in Reading Capital
Gayatri Chackravorty Spivak, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” from Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture. Ed. Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1988).
Antonio Negri, “The Italian Difference,” Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy. 5.1 (Jan. 2009).
Week 14 (April 25)
Jon Beasley-Murray, Posthegemony
And/or
Peter Thomas, The Gramscian Moment
May 5. Final Paper Due.
Requirements
Readings from the Prison Notebooks are taken from the following editions:
Antonio Gramsci, Selection from the Prison Notebooks. International Publishers, 1971; Selections from Cultural Writings. Harvard University Press, 1985; Further Selections from the Prison Notebooks. Minnesota University Press, 1995.
The Selection from the Prison Notebooks are available at the Duke bookstore. The Selections from Cultural Writings can be purchased from several on-line vendors, and are also available (to be assembled!) at Project Muse. Here is the link.
Also the Further Selections from the Prison Notebooks are out of print, and can be purchased from on-line vendors. Along with the Columbia University edition of the Notebooks (up to notebook 8), they are also on reserve at Perkins library. UNC students can also access these texts online through their library.
Also at the bookstore are Peter Thomas, The Gramscian Moment; and Jon Beasley-Murray, Posthegemony.
Other readings are available on-line. Please notice that some readings are accessible only from computers within the Duke network, or through a Duke Virtual Private Network.
Students with reading knowledge of Italian can use Gerratana’s edition of I quaderni del carcere.
Students’ are required to present and discuss one note (or a string of notes) per class. Presentations do not need to be overly long or elaborate, but will serve as points of entries for the discussion of the texts. Also required is a final paper (7-10 pages for undergraduates; 15-18 for graduates), whose topic will be discussed in advance with the instructor.
Antonio Gramsci, Selection from the Prison Notebooks. International Publishers, 1971; Selections from Cultural Writings. Harvard University Press, 1985; Further Selections from the Prison Notebooks. Minnesota University Press, 1995.
The Selection from the Prison Notebooks are available at the Duke bookstore. The Selections from Cultural Writings can be purchased from several on-line vendors, and are also available (to be assembled!) at Project Muse. Here is the link.
Also the Further Selections from the Prison Notebooks are out of print, and can be purchased from on-line vendors. Along with the Columbia University edition of the Notebooks (up to notebook 8), they are also on reserve at Perkins library. UNC students can also access these texts online through their library.
Also at the bookstore are Peter Thomas, The Gramscian Moment; and Jon Beasley-Murray, Posthegemony.
Other readings are available on-line. Please notice that some readings are accessible only from computers within the Duke network, or through a Duke Virtual Private Network.
Students with reading knowledge of Italian can use Gerratana’s edition of I quaderni del carcere.
Students’ are required to present and discuss one note (or a string of notes) per class. Presentations do not need to be overly long or elaborate, but will serve as points of entries for the discussion of the texts. Also required is a final paper (7-10 pages for undergraduates; 15-18 for graduates), whose topic will be discussed in advance with the instructor.