MSCR 4623 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Economic Determinism, Antonio Gramsci, False Consciousness

• School: Northeastern University
• Department: Media and Screen Studies
• Course: MSCR 4623
• Professor: Craig M.Robertson

Document Summary

Gramsci believe that false consciousness and economic determinism don"t exist > which brings into question: what allows power to be maintained/guaranteed? > gramsci believes that power and social structure is maintained through hegemony. The genius of marx"s idea of economic determinism is: if you have economic power, then it"s a given that you have social power. Gramsci believes that instead of power guaranteed through economic status", it is guaranteed through hegemony. Ideology then becomes discussed as hegemony rather than false consciousness. Marxism without guaranteed > gramsci believes that power is not guaranteed, thus there will always be the potential of struggle > the ongoing struggle to maintain power is hegemony. Marxism without guarantee = without economic determinism (b/c economic determinism ensures how social power operates) At the theoretical level, gramsci is stating that there is actually no guarantee for power/ who"s going to be in power (goes against marx"s ideas)