Political Hegemony and Social Complexity (eBook)

Mechanisms of Power After Gramsci

Alex Williams (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2019 | 1st ed. 2020
XI, 252 Seiten
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
978-3-030-19795-7 (ISBN)

Infos

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.

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).

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 30.5.2019
• Reihe/Serie: International Political Theory
• Reihe/Serie: International Political Theory
• Zusatzinfo: XI, 252 p. 7 illus.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Zeitgeschichte
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Politische Theorie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Schlagworte: Common sense • Complexity theory • Critical Realism • Cybernetics • Gramsci • hegemonic political theory • hylomorphism • Ideology • Neoliberalism • non-linearity • nonreductive individualism • philosophy of science • Political change • Political influence • post-structuralism • Radical Democracy • Self-Organisation • social emergence • Social Structure • State theory
• ISBN-10: 3-030-19795-6 / 3030197956
• ISBN-13: 978-3-030-19795-7 / 9783030197957