Content: Selections of Gramsci's written works including the prison notebooks with editorial commentary providing context and chronology
Relevance: I find the notion that a hegemony can be created through a dominating idea to be very powerful. It has especial resonance in the context of the assertion (agreed with by many in New Labour) that "there is no alternative" (a.k.a TINA) to modern neo-liberal capitalism. However I also find it necessary to distinguish between deliberate (or conspiratorial) arguments based on class (which I reject) and those which see it as a social process, more group think. Another thing Margaret Thatcher was know for was asking "is he one of us". But in a general sense we all feel some pressure to go along with a prevailing orthodoxy,.
Other authors relevant to this are
- Kuhn who saw the need for a paradigm shift when science was defending an established position even when new knowledge was challenging the orthodoxy
- Galbraith who pointed out the culture of contentment
- Kahneman who describes how we use thinking shortcuts or heuristics instead of engaging in the difficult task of thinking things through