TRA MARGINI E SUBALTERNITÀ. UNA CHIAVE POLITICA GRAMSCIANA PER PENSARE IL MEZZOGIORNO

The idea of subaltern groups is one of the most notable Gramscian concepts that has

become part of the global historical-political lexicon, and not only that: the work on the Southern

Question has been integrated into the broader discourse of the Global South. If these new views, on

the one hand, had the merit of spreading some of the key terms from Quaderni del carcere beyond

Italy, on the other hand they had the effect of depoliticising and historicising the potential topicality

of Gramiscian thought. Global readings of Gramsci have developed to the detriment of more

specific aspects concerning the Mezzogiorno and the idea of «subaltern social groups»: consider,

for example, the change in direction carried out by the Subaltern Studies in rereading the relation

between hegemony and subalternity under a dichotomous light. The conception of subalternity

outlined by Gramsci cannot be separated from his Marxism, as it is precisely within hegemony that

the subaltern classes can reaffirm the non-synchronicity and thus show the multiplicity of the lines

of historical movement. Hegemony for Gramsci thus assumes a strategic character, where the

analysis of power coincides with its critique. The aim of this contribution is to relocate the concept

of subalternity within the philosophy of praxis, thus unfolding the political potential of Gramscian

reflections. It will be thus possible to ascertain not only the political topicality, but also how

Gramsci's ideas on the Mezzogiorno can still provide insights for renewed perspectives of analysis.