Dizionario dell’egemonia. Da Gioberti a Gramsci

The notion of hegemony has a long history that begins in Greek Antiquity. It the resurfaced in
the European historiography and political theory of the 19th century, especially in reference to the events of the German Confederation and the role that Prussia played in that context. By analogy, it was also used to characterize the role of Piemonte in the process of unification of the Italian states. Differently specified according to different contexts, between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, this concept became part of the socialdemocratic and communist theorization and political practice, especially in Russia. In such a context it was employed to the describe class relationships in modern societies. Finally, it was widely used in Italy in various areas (including the “linguistic question”) by such authors as Cesare Balbo, Vincenzo Gioberti and especially Antonio Gramsci. Thanks to him the notion of hegemony is diffusely used nowadays.