This thesis undertakes a reappraisal of the Marxist philosopher and revolutionary, Antonio Gramsc... more This thesis undertakes a reappraisal of the Marxist philosopher and revolutionary, Antonio Gramsci. Gramsci has never been as widely discussed in academia as he is today. However, his ubiquity comes at a price. Due to the extensive range of its concerns, the body of thought that has arisen around him in recent times has become too obtuse, unwieldy and diversified to allow us to derive the denominational intellectual essence of its founder. Indeed, what has evolved into a ‘Gramscian school’ in recent times is an oxymoron. Above all, Gramsci’s thought has become distanced from his historical context and applied in greater abstraction. The most clear-cut example of this is his current alignment with postmodern, post-structural and post-Marxist thinkers who tend to weaken both his Marxism and his revolutionism. This goes too far and is methodologically unsound. By adopting a contextual historicist method, my intention is to uncover the ‘real Gramsci’. Gramsci formulated a philosophical ...
This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful soc... more This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful social, philosophical, political, in short, 'historical ' context. This is particularly true of his prison writing which is a rich resource but one which calls for delicate archaeological handling. It appears that Gramsci’s Marxism is unapologetically eclectic but this results in an integrated and surprisingly harmonious theoretical and practical approach to history and society. This can be brought to sharp focus only by close examination of the educational properties of Gramsci’s historical environment, the suggestions it makes, the perceptible possibilities it entails, that which blocks or impedes movement and progress, and so on. That is to say, Gramsci was not an abstract thinker. His thinking is grounded in the class war of the Italy of his time and, in turn, this was attuned to the broader struggle against capitalism in and beyond Italy's borders. This is arguably the w...
This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful soc... more This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful social, philosophical, political, in short, 'historical' context. This is particularly true of his prison writing which is a rich resource but one which calls for delicate archaeological handling. It appears that Gramsci’s Marxism is unapologetically eclectic but this results in an integrated and surprisingly harmonious theoretical and practical approach to history and society. This can be brought to sharp focus only by close examination of the educational properties of Gramsci’s historical environment, the suggestions it makes, the perceptible possibilities it entails, that which blocks or impedes movement and progress, and so on. That is to say, Gramsci was not an abstract thinker. His thinking is grounded in the class war of the Italy of his time and, in turn, this was attuned to the broader struggle against capitalism in and beyond Italy's borders. This is arguably the way G...
The Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 2007
In this paper, we explore educational inequality through a theoretical and empirical analysis. We... more In this paper, we explore educational inequality through a theoretical and empirical analysis. We use classical Marxian scholarship and class-based analyses to theorise the relationship between education and the inequality in society that is an inevitable feature of capitalist society/ economy. The relationship between social class and the process of capitalization of education in the USA and UK is identified, where neo-liberal drivers are working to condition the education sector more tightly to the needs of capital. The empirical evidence is utilised to show how capital accumulation is the principal objective of national and international government policy, and of global capitalist organizations such as the World Trade Organization. The key ontological claim of Marxist education theorists is that education serves to complement, regiment and replicate the dominant-subordinate nature of class relations upon which capitalism depends, the labor-capital relation. Through these argument...
This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful soc... more This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful social, philosophical, political, in short, 'historical' context. This is particularly true of his prison writing which is a rich resource but one which calls for delicate archaeological handling. It appears that Gramsci’s Marxism is unapologetically eclectic but this results in an integrated and surprisingly harmonious theoretical and practical approach to history and society. This can be brought to sharp focus only by close examination of the educational properties of Gramsci’s historical environment, the suggestions it makes, the perceptible possibilities it entails, that which blocks or impedes movement and progress, and so on. That is to say, Gramsci was not an abstract thinker. His thinking is grounded in the class war of the Italy of his time and, in turn, this was attuned to the broader struggle against capitalism in and beyond Italy's borders. This is arguably the way G...
This book: Inequality in Education: Comparative and International Perspectives is a compilation o... more This book: Inequality in Education: Comparative and International Perspectives is a compilation of conceptual chapters and national case studies that includes a series of methods for measuring education inequalities. The book provides up-to-date scholarly research on global trends ...
Page 1. REVIEW ARTICLE United We Stand, Divided We Fall ROSEMARY LITTLECHILD, SUE WAINWRIGHT and ... more Page 1. REVIEW ARTICLE United We Stand, Divided We Fall ROSEMARY LITTLECHILD, SUE WAINWRIGHT and JOHN DOLING Responding to Poverty: The Politics of Cash and Care. By SAUL BECKER. London, 1997. Pp.223. £12.99 pb. ...
This essay investigates Gramsci’s theory of intellectuals alongside coterminous question of knowl... more This essay investigates Gramsci’s theory of intellectuals alongside coterminous question of knowledge and identity construction. It will be found that the concept of self is mediated in historical processes characterised by iniquitous social relations. It is not just a question of “who we are” but also to what do we attribute our loss of self? Gramsci’s answer is that we cannot know who we are until we are all equally free to make our own destiny, but that this is not possible under capitalist social relations. In any age, human identity is malleable and subject to cultural construction, always underpinned and underwritten by organic economic practices and
Page 1. 59 3 Does Capitalism Inevitably Increase Inequality?1 Dave HILL, Nigel M. GREAVES & A... more Page 1. 59 3 Does Capitalism Inevitably Increase Inequality?1 Dave HILL, Nigel M. GREAVES & Alpesh MAISURIA In this chapter, we explore educational inequality through a theoretical and em-pirical analysis. We use classical Marxian scholarship and class-based analyzes ...
This book: Inequality in Education: Comparative and International Perspectives is a compilation o... more This book: Inequality in Education: Comparative and International Perspectives is a compilation of conceptual chapters and national case studies that includes a series of methods for measuring education inequalities. The book provides up-to-date scholarly research on global trends ...
This thesis undertakes a reappraisal of the Marxist philosopher and revolutionary, Antonio Gramsc... more This thesis undertakes a reappraisal of the Marxist philosopher and revolutionary, Antonio Gramsci. Gramsci has never been as widely discussed in academia as he is today. However, his ubiquity comes at a price. Due to the extensive range of its concerns, the body of thought that has arisen around him in recent times has become too obtuse, unwieldy and diversified to allow us to derive the denominational intellectual essence of its founder. Indeed, what has evolved into a ‘Gramscian school’ in recent times is an oxymoron. Above all, Gramsci’s thought has become distanced from his historical context and applied in greater abstraction. The most clear-cut example of this is his current alignment with postmodern, post-structural and post-Marxist thinkers who tend to weaken both his Marxism and his revolutionism. This goes too far and is methodologically unsound. By adopting a contextual historicist method, my intention is to uncover the ‘real Gramsci’. Gramsci formulated a philosophical ...
This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful soc... more This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful social, philosophical, political, in short, 'historical ' context. This is particularly true of his prison writing which is a rich resource but one which calls for delicate archaeological handling. It appears that Gramsci’s Marxism is unapologetically eclectic but this results in an integrated and surprisingly harmonious theoretical and practical approach to history and society. This can be brought to sharp focus only by close examination of the educational properties of Gramsci’s historical environment, the suggestions it makes, the perceptible possibilities it entails, that which blocks or impedes movement and progress, and so on. That is to say, Gramsci was not an abstract thinker. His thinking is grounded in the class war of the Italy of his time and, in turn, this was attuned to the broader struggle against capitalism in and beyond Italy's borders. This is arguably the w...
This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful soc... more This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful social, philosophical, political, in short, 'historical' context. This is particularly true of his prison writing which is a rich resource but one which calls for delicate archaeological handling. It appears that Gramsci’s Marxism is unapologetically eclectic but this results in an integrated and surprisingly harmonious theoretical and practical approach to history and society. This can be brought to sharp focus only by close examination of the educational properties of Gramsci’s historical environment, the suggestions it makes, the perceptible possibilities it entails, that which blocks or impedes movement and progress, and so on. That is to say, Gramsci was not an abstract thinker. His thinking is grounded in the class war of the Italy of his time and, in turn, this was attuned to the broader struggle against capitalism in and beyond Italy's borders. This is arguably the way G...
The Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 2007
In this paper, we explore educational inequality through a theoretical and empirical analysis. We... more In this paper, we explore educational inequality through a theoretical and empirical analysis. We use classical Marxian scholarship and class-based analyses to theorise the relationship between education and the inequality in society that is an inevitable feature of capitalist society/ economy. The relationship between social class and the process of capitalization of education in the USA and UK is identified, where neo-liberal drivers are working to condition the education sector more tightly to the needs of capital. The empirical evidence is utilised to show how capital accumulation is the principal objective of national and international government policy, and of global capitalist organizations such as the World Trade Organization. The key ontological claim of Marxist education theorists is that education serves to complement, regiment and replicate the dominant-subordinate nature of class relations upon which capitalism depends, the labor-capital relation. Through these argument...
This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful soc... more This article argues that the writings of Antonio Gramsci should be situated in their rightful social, philosophical, political, in short, 'historical' context. This is particularly true of his prison writing which is a rich resource but one which calls for delicate archaeological handling. It appears that Gramsci’s Marxism is unapologetically eclectic but this results in an integrated and surprisingly harmonious theoretical and practical approach to history and society. This can be brought to sharp focus only by close examination of the educational properties of Gramsci’s historical environment, the suggestions it makes, the perceptible possibilities it entails, that which blocks or impedes movement and progress, and so on. That is to say, Gramsci was not an abstract thinker. His thinking is grounded in the class war of the Italy of his time and, in turn, this was attuned to the broader struggle against capitalism in and beyond Italy's borders. This is arguably the way G...
This book: Inequality in Education: Comparative and International Perspectives is a compilation o... more This book: Inequality in Education: Comparative and International Perspectives is a compilation of conceptual chapters and national case studies that includes a series of methods for measuring education inequalities. The book provides up-to-date scholarly research on global trends ...
Page 1. REVIEW ARTICLE United We Stand, Divided We Fall ROSEMARY LITTLECHILD, SUE WAINWRIGHT and ... more Page 1. REVIEW ARTICLE United We Stand, Divided We Fall ROSEMARY LITTLECHILD, SUE WAINWRIGHT and JOHN DOLING Responding to Poverty: The Politics of Cash and Care. By SAUL BECKER. London, 1997. Pp.223. £12.99 pb. ...
This essay investigates Gramsci’s theory of intellectuals alongside coterminous question of knowl... more This essay investigates Gramsci’s theory of intellectuals alongside coterminous question of knowledge and identity construction. It will be found that the concept of self is mediated in historical processes characterised by iniquitous social relations. It is not just a question of “who we are” but also to what do we attribute our loss of self? Gramsci’s answer is that we cannot know who we are until we are all equally free to make our own destiny, but that this is not possible under capitalist social relations. In any age, human identity is malleable and subject to cultural construction, always underpinned and underwritten by organic economic practices and
Page 1. 59 3 Does Capitalism Inevitably Increase Inequality?1 Dave HILL, Nigel M. GREAVES & A... more Page 1. 59 3 Does Capitalism Inevitably Increase Inequality?1 Dave HILL, Nigel M. GREAVES & Alpesh MAISURIA In this chapter, we explore educational inequality through a theoretical and em-pirical analysis. We use classical Marxian scholarship and class-based analyzes ...
This book: Inequality in Education: Comparative and International Perspectives is a compilation o... more This book: Inequality in Education: Comparative and International Perspectives is a compilation of conceptual chapters and national case studies that includes a series of methods for measuring education inequalities. The book provides up-to-date scholarly research on global trends ...
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