《马克思主义与文学》中关于hegamony的英文原文.docx

《马克思主义与文学》中关于hegamony的英文原文.docx

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《马克思主义与文学》中关于hegamony的英文原文

6hegemony

Thetraditionaldefinitionof“hegemony”ispoliticalruleordomination,especiallyinrelationsbetweenstates.Marxismextendedthedefinitionofruleordominationtorelationsbetweensocialclasses,andespeciallytodefinitionsofarulingclass.“Hegemony”thenacquiredafurthersignificantsenseintheworkofAntonioGramsci,carriedoutundergreatdifficultiesinaFascistprisonbetween1927and1935.MuchisstilluncertaininGramsci’ssuseoftheconcept,buthisworkisoneofthemajorturning-pointsinMarxistculturaltheory.

Gramscimadeadistinctionbetween“rule”（dominio）and“hegemony”.“Rule”isexpressedindirectlypoliticalformsandintimesofcrisisbydirectoreffectivecoercion.Butthemorenormalsituationisacomplexinterlockingofpolitical,social,andculturalforces,and“hegemony”,accordingtodifferentinterpretations,iseitherthisortheactivesocialandculturalforceswhichareitsnecessaryelements.WhatevertheimplicationsoftheconceptforMarxistpoliticaltheory（whichhasstilltorecognizemanykindsofdirectpoliticalcontrol,socialclasscontrol,andeconomiccontrol,aswellasthismoregeneralformation）,theeffectsonculturaltheoryareimmediate.For“hegemony”isaconceptwhichatonceincludesandgoesbeyondtwopowerfulearlierconcepts:

thatofcultureasawholesocialprocess,inwhichmendefineandshapetheirwholelives;andthatofideology,inanyofitsMarxistsenses,inwhichasystemofmeaningsandvaluesistheexpressionorprojectionofaparticularclassinterest.

Hegemonygoesbeyondculture,aspreviouslydefined,initsinsistenceonrelationthewholesocialprocesstospecificdistributionsofpowerandinfluence.Tosaythatmendefineandshapetheirwholelivesistrueonlyinabstraction.Inanyactualsocietytherearespecificinequalitiesinmeansandthereforeincapacitytorealizethisprocess.Inaclasssocietytheseareprimarilyinequalitiesbetweenclasses.Gramscithereforeintroducethenecessaryrecognitionofdominanceandsubordinationinwhathasstill,however,toberecognizedasawholeprocess.

Itisinjustthisrecognitionofthewholenessoftheprocessthattheconceptofhegemonygoesbeyondideology.Whatisdecisivenotonlytheconscioussystemofideasandbeliefs,butthewholelivedsocialprocessaspracticallyorganizedbyspecificanddominantmeaningsandvalues.Ideology,initsnormalsenses,isarelativelyformalandarticulatedsystemofmeanings,values,andbeliefs,ofakindthatcanbeabstractedasaworld-vieworaclassoutlook.Thisexplainsitspopularityasaconceptinretrospectiveanalysis（inbase-superstructureandmodelsorinhomology）,sinceasystemofideascanbeabstractedfromthatoncelivingsocialprocessandrepresented,usuallybytheselectionofleadingortypicalideologistsorideologicalfeatures,asthedecisiveforminwhichconsciousnesswasatonceexpressedandcontrolled（or,asinAlthusser,wasineffectunconscious,asanimposedstructure）.Therelativelymixed,confused,incomplete,orinarticulateconsciousnessofactualmeninthatperiodandsocietyisthusoverriddeninthenameofthisdecisivegeneralizedsystem,andindeedinstructuralhomologyisprocedurallyexcludedasperipheralorephemeral.Itisthefullyarticulatedandsystematicformswhicharerecognizableasideology,andthereisacorrespondingtendencyintheanalysisofarttolookonlyforsimilarlyfullyarticulateandsystematicexpressionsofthisideologyinthecontent（base-superstructure）orform（homology）ofactualworks.Inlessselectiveprocedures,lessdependentontheinherentclassicismofthedefinitionofformasfullyarticulateandsystematic,thetendencyistoconsiderworksasvariantsof,orasvariablyaffectedby,thedecisiveabstractedideology.

Moregenerally,thissenseofanideologyisappliedinabstractwaystotheactualconsciousnessofbothdominantandsubordinatedclasses.Adominantclasshasthisideologyinrelativelypureandsimpleforms,asubordinateclasshas,inoneversion,nothingbutthisideologyasitsconsciousness（sincetheproductionofallideasis,byaxiomaticdefinition,inthehandsofthosewhocontroltheprimarymeansofproduction）or,inanotherversion,hasthisideologyimposedonitsotherwisedifferentconsciousness,whichitmuststruggletosustainordevelopagainstruling-classideology.

Theconceptofhegemonyoften,inpractice,resemblesthesedefinitions,butitisdistinctinitsrefusaltoequateconsciousnesswiththearticulateformalsystemwhichcanbeandordinarilyisabstractedasideology.Itofcoursedoesnotexcludethearticulateandformalmeanings,valuesandbeliefswhichadominantclassdevelopsandpropagates.Butisdoesnotequatethesewithconsciousness,orratheritdoesnotreduceconsciousnesstothem.Insteaditseestherelationsofdominationandsubordination,intheirformsaspracticalconsciousness,asineffectasaturationofthewholeprocessofliving—notonlyofpoliticalandeconomicactivity,noronlyofmanifestsocialactivity,butofthewholesubstanceoflivedidentitiesandrelationships,tosuchadepththatthepressuresandlimitsofwhatcanultimatelybeseenasaspecificeconomic,political,andculturalsystemseemtomostofusthepressuresandlimitsofsimpleexperienceandcommonsense.Hegemonyisthennotonlythearticulateupperlevelofideology,norareitsformsofcontrolonlythoseordinarilyseenasmanipulationorindoctrination.Itisawholebodyofpracticesandexpectations,overthewholeofliving:

oursensesandassignmentsofenergy,ourshapingperceptionsofourselvesandourworld.Itisalivedsystemofmeaningsandvalues—constitutiveandconstituting—whichastheyareexperiencedaspracticesappearasreciprocallyconfirming.Itthusconstitutesasenseofrealityformostpeopleinthesociety,asenseofabsolutebecauseexperiencedrealitybeyondwhichitisverydifficultformostmembersofthesocietytomove,inmostareasoftheirlives.Itisthatistosay,inthestrongestsenseaculture,butaculturewhichhasalsotobeseenastheliveddominanceandsubornationofparticularclasses.

Therearetwoimmediateadvantagesinthisconceptofhegemony.First,itsformsofdominationandsubordinationcorrespondmuchmorecloselytothenormalprocessedofsocialorganizationandcontrolindevelopedsocietiesthanthemorefamiliarprojectionsfromtheideaofarulingclass,whichareusuallybasedonmuchearlierandsimplerhistoricalphases.Itcanspeak,forexample,totherealitiesofelectoraldemocracy,andtothesignificantmodernareasofleisureandprivatelife,morespecificallyandmoreactivelythanolderideasofdomination,withtheirtrivializingexplanationsofsimplemanipulation,corruption,andbetrayal.Ifthepressuresandlimitsofagivenformofdominationaretothisextentexperiencedandinpracticeinternalized,thewholequestionofclassrule,andofoppositiontoit,istransformed.Gramsci’semphasisonthecreationofanalternativehegemony,bythepracticalconnectionmanydifferentformsofstruggle,includingthosenoteasilyrecognizableasandindeednotprimarilypoliticalandeconomic,thusleadstoamuchmoreprofoundandmoreactivesenseofrevolutionaryactivityinahighlydevelopedsocietythanthepersistentlyabstractmodelsderivedfromverydifferenthistoricalsituations.Thesourcesofanyalternativehegemonyareindeeddifficulttodefine.ForGramscitheyspringfromtheworkingclass,butnotthisclassasanidealorabstractconstruction.Whathesees,rather,isaworkingpeoplewhichhas,precisely,tobecomeaclass,andapotentiallyhegemonicclass,againstthepressuresandlimitsofanexistingandpowerfulhegemony.

Second,andmoreimmediatelyinthiscontext,thereisawholedifferentwayofseeingculturalactivity,bothastraditionandaspractice.Culturalworkandactivityarenotnow,inanyordinarysense,asuperstructure:

notonlybecauseofthedepthandthoroughnessatwhichanyculturalhegemonyislived,butbecauseculturaltraditionandpracticeareseenasmuchmorethansuperstructuralexpressions—reflections,mediations,ortypifications—ofaformedsocialandeconomicstructure.Onthecontrary,theyareamongthebasicprocessesofformationitselfandfurther,relatedtoamuchwiderareaofrealitythantheabstractionsofsocialandeconomicexperience.Peopleseeingthemselvesandeachotherindirectlypersonalrelationships;peopleseeingthenaturalworldandthemselvesinit;peopleusingtheirphysicalandmaterialresourcesofwhatonekindofsocietyspecializedtoleisureandentertainmentandare:

alltheseactiveexperiencesandpractices,whichmakeupsomuchoftherealityofacultureanditsculturalproductioncanbeseenastheyare,withoutreductiontoothercategoriesofcontent,andwithoutthecharacteristicstrainingtofitthem（directlyasreflection,indirectlyasmediationortypificationoranalogy）tootheranddeterminingmanifesteconomicandpoliticalrelationships.Yettheycanstillbeseenaselementsofahegemony:

aninclusivesocialandculturalformationwhichindeedtobeeffectivehastoextendtoandinclude,indeedtoformandbeformedfrom,thiswholeareaoflivedexperience.

Manydifficultiesthenarise,boththeoreticallyandpractically,butitisimportanttorecognizehowmanyblindalleyswemaynowbesavedfromentering.Ifanylivedcultureisnecessarilysoextensive,theproblemsofdominationandsubordinationontheonehand,andoftheextraordinarycomplexityofanyactuallyculturaltraditionandpracticeontheother,canatlastbedirectlyapproached.

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