International Gramsci Society Newsletter
Number 10 (March, 2000): 26 < prev | tofc | next >  

Second International Conference of IGS-Mexico

In 1980, Ediciones Era of Mexico, published the first volume of the Spanish translation of Valentino Gerratana's critical edition of the Quaderni del carcere. Three more volumes appeared before the end of the decade, but financial difficulties and other publishing problems halted the ambitious project. Now, thanks to the initiative of Dora Kanoussi and the generous financial support of the Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, the fifth volume has appeared in print and the sixth (and final) volume will be available in the next few months. To celebrate the achievement, Dora Kanoussi (in collaboration with the University of Puebla, the Fondazione Istituto Gramsci, and the International Gramsci Society) organized a conference on Gramscian studies that was held in the city of Puebla on 7-11 February 2000. The conference which brought together scholars from Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Italy and the United States, was capped by the appearance, on the final day, of Ana Maria Palos, the persevering translator of the Cuadernos de la cárcel.

Questions of Gramscian philology were keenly debated in some of the conference sessions, not merely because the occasion virtually demanded it, but also--and more importantly--because it has become increasingly clear during the past decade that any careful interpretation of Gramsci's thought needs to be informed by a rigorous study of the textual complexities and a thorough understanding of the unusual method of composition of the Quderni. Carlos Nelson Coutinho and Joseph Buttigieg (the translators of Gramsci's text into Portuguese and English, respectively) participated actively in these debates, as did Giuseppe Cospito, Guido Liguori, and others.

Most of the conference was devoted to detailed discussions of some of the most important categories and themes elaborated by Gramsci. The formal presentations dealt with passive revolution (Dora Kanoussi), the concept of the State (Guido Liguori), civil society (Carlos Nelson Coutinho), Americanism and Fordism/modernization/globalization (Donatella Di Benedetto and Carlos Ambía), hegemony (Nestor Kohan), structure and superstructure (Giuseppe Cospito), subaltern social groups (Francisco Hidalgo), the politcal critique of culture (Buttigieg).

The conference also provided the occasion to examine the ways in which Gramsci's ideas are interpreted and employed in various Latin American political contexts. Of special interest, in this regard, were the papers and interventions by the participants from Cuba--Rafael Hernandez, Ruben Zardoya, Joaquin Santana, Rigoberto Pupo, Fernando Martinez, and Pablo Pacecho (who is currently the Director of the Cátedra Gramsci in Havana).

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