Gramsci, social theory and migration

The work of Antonio Gramsci implies, in comparison with Karl Marx, a shift toward civil society, rather than state, as an intermediate category between economic structures and political institutions. Gramsci offers indeed an integral state composed of the political society (which exercises coercion) and civil society (which generates consensus). Thus, civil society becomes the site of production and contestation of ideas, the elaboration and diffusion of ideas, or, in other words, the terrain of hegemony. Our objective with this paper is to explore how Gramsci's political theory on civil society as the arena for social and political change can be used to elaborate a theoretical framework to conceptualize and analyze immigration. We highlight four dimensions that translates Gramsci's reflections to the field of immigration: class, space, common sense, and counter-hegemony. Gramsci's theory can, in a few words, contribute to understanding how migrants can question the hegemonic order and contribute to alternative visions of society.