Köpping Athanasopoulos, Harald
The Margins of History - Rediscovering the Subaltern.
This chapter discusses the Gramscian concept of subalternity, which is a useful tool for studying the experiences of transnational migrants. While Gramsci's narrative of the practice of hegemony has recently been recovered (e.g. Thomas P: Hegemony, passive revolution and the modern prince. Thesis Eleven 117(1):20-39, 2013), his treatment of 'subalternity' has sometimes been inaccurately depicted. There has been a tendency to equate subalternity with inferiority and the Marxian lumpenproletariat. Gramsci however discusses subalternity in terms of its potential to emerge from its own subordination, continually pursuing an emancipatory agenda. The chapter also addresses neofunctionalism's view on the subaltern. Indeed, Haas's theory lacks the theoretical tools to deal with class issues, delegating the subaltern to the vague category of exogenous factors. The final part of this chapter discusses different ways by which neofunctionalism actually produces subalternity if put into political practice. Specifically, the concepts of commodification, reification and biopolitics are addressed.
| Language | eng |
| Names |
[author] Köpping Athanasopoulos, Harald |
| Subjects |
Subalternità
Egemonia
Subaltern
Egemony |
