The Low Politics of High Art

Abstract

of global hegemony. Insights from the work of Gramsci and Vico have helped to underline the importance of civil society in the creation of global power structures, enriching our understanding of the patterns of domination by examining the role of international institutions, ideology, and transnational class alliances in creating hegemonic consent.1 Similarly, postmodern, postcolonial, and feminist theorists have emphasized the importance of deconstructing world orders and denaturalizing claims to power.2 In combination, these contributions have opened our eyes to the role of nonstate actors both in creating and resisting global power structures, making visible the invisible structures of gender, class, race, and colonization. Because such factors are also deeply implicated in the construction of the concepts of self, nation, and other affiliations, the question of identity formation in the context of global communications and blurred national borders also has received growing attention.3 As part of this increased focus on civil society and the construction of hegemonic consent, the notion of culture has reappeared as an important analytical category in understanding international political economy. Once we step out of the realm of the state in explaining power relations, more amorphous influences such as religion, education, and, yes, even art, become important considerations in understanding the complexity of accumulating and consolidating power. Many discussions of culture and power in international relations theory have remained at the metatheoretical level.4 A growing body of literature, however, is providing a more precise account of