Neo Marxism

Question 1

Gramsci’s concept of hegemony

Answer 1

The dominance in society of the ruling class ideology and the acceptance of it by the rest of society.

Question 2

How is ruling class dominance maintained through coercion?

Answer 2

The use of the army, police and other government agencies to force other classes to accept ruling class ideology.

Question 3

How is ruling class dominance maintained through consent?

Answer 3

Using ideas and values to persuade the other classes that ruling class ideology is legitimate.

Question 4

voluntarism in Neo-Marxism

Answer 4

It means that the working class choose to accept the ruling class ideology.

Question 5

Why is ruling class hegemony never complete?

Answer 5

Because the ruling class are the minority and need alliances, and the working class has dual consciousness, seeing through the dominant ideology to a degree.

Question 6

organic intellectuals

Answer 6

Class conscious workers who organise themselves into a revolutionary political party to help create the counter-hegemony.

Question 7

Repressive State Apparatus

Answer 7

Police, military, and CJS that use coercion to maintain control.

Question 8

Ideological State Apparatus

Answer 8

Media, education, family and other institutions that use manipulation to maintain control.

Question 9

economic level of structural determinism

Answer 9

All activities which produce something to meet a need; dominates capitalism.

Question 10

political level of structural determinism

Answer 10

All forms of organisation including RSAs which coerce workers into false class consciousness.

Question 11

ideological level of structural determinism

Answer 11

The ways people see themselves and the world, including ISAs which socialise and manipulate people into false class consciousness.

Question 12

relative autonomy

Answer 12

Partial independence from the economic level; political and ideological levels have two-way causality but economic level dominates in capitalism.

Question 13

What is required for socialism to come about according to Humanistic Neo-Marxism?

Answer 13

A counter-hegemony created by the working class to overthrow the cultural hegemony of the ruling class.

Question 14

evaluation of Humanistic Neo-Marxism

Answer 14

It under-emphasises the role of coercive political and economic forces; workers may be unable to form revolutionary vanguards due to threat of state violence.

Question 15

evaluation of Structural Neo-Marxism

Answer 15

Replaces economic determinism with a more complex system; discourages political activism; ignores examples of working-class struggles; elitist, as suggested by Thompson – people follow the communist party blindly.