Gramsci and Latin America

Abstract

Gramsci has a long history in Latin America, where his influence is surpassed only by that in his native Italy. Translation of his work into Spanish and Portuguese occurred some time before its English and French translations. The classic Gramscian themes of hegemony, revolution, Caesarism/Bonapartism, war of maneuver/war of posi tion, national popular, and so on, have hugely influenced critical social theory in many parts of Latin America. Any contemporary reconstruction of a viable left alterna tive going beyond debilitating binary opposition of reform versus revolution needs to take account of Gramci's complex and open-ended work. Adam Morton's Unravelling Gramsci focuses on Gramsci's theory of uneven development and, with its extensive Latin America material, should be seen as a contribution to this task. Morton starts off with a broad overview of North/South question of uneven development in Gramsci's thought. Italy's Questione Meridionale is clearly relevant to contemporary critical theories of development, and it also helps guide our under standing of alternative processes of state formation elsewhere. Morton's engagement with Gramsci is based on placing him firmly in his own political time. In this it dif fers from earlier custom, especially in English-speaking world, of associat ing Gramsci with whatever political project was being promoted (for example, Eurocommunism). Gramsci was also a convenient fig leaf for Marxists moving into post-Marxism or beyond. In contrast to this Gramsci of sound bites or mechanical applicationof his concepts in a dehistoricized way, Morton takes us into Gramsci's theoretical/political workshop to see how he forged his concepts. Perhaps of most interest to readers of Latin American Perspectives will be sections on history of Mexico as a passive revolution. Neoliberal restructuring in 1980s and 1990s led to a worsening crisis of hegemony, reminiscent of Gramsci's theme of a ruling class that is still dominant but not leading or hegemonic. The contradictions of neoliberalism became more apparent, and, to quote Gramsci, the great masses bec[a]me detached from their traditional ideologies. Finally, book takes up emergence of Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional in terms of Gramsci's counterhegemonic forms of resistance. Interestingly, and perhaps in con trast to much Zapatista analysis, Gramscian perspective, to quote Gramsci again, takes national as point of departure . . . yet perspective is international and cannot be otherwise (173). This is an elegant analysis showing potential for renewed interest in Gramsci from a Latin American perspective. Morton is urging us not to apply Gramsci but, rather, to internalize his method of thinking to help create alternative futures. In doing so we can build on pioneer ing work of Jose Arico (1988), Juan Carlos Portantiero (1993), and Carlos Coutinho