Antonio Gramsci and Australia

The influence of both the politics and writings of Antonio Gramsci have a long history in Australia. Many early Italian immigrants were refugees from Fascism through whom were established strong connections between Italian Communists and the Australian left. The academic literature on Gramsci began somewhat earlier in Australia than in either Britain or America but, after the mid-1980s, its explorations of Gramsci were subsumed by the wider English-language literature. This essay situates the papers in this symposium within the historical context of Australian scholarship on both Gramsci and hegemony. It first explores the influence of Gramsci on politics within Australia, then concentrates on how Gramsci studies are enjoying something of a revival in Australia today.