Customer Reviews

Gramsci, Culture and Anthropology

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Before reading this, I had no exposure to Gramsci, and only limited exposure to Marxist theory; nonetheless, this was very approachable.

Crehan does a great job at both laying out some common errors in mainstream anthropology's understandings of "culture", and how Gramsci's studies of culture could lead to a firmer foundation for cultural theory.

Overall, I found this to be highly a enjoyable read and would recommend it for anyone who is studying cultural theory or is interested in learning a bit about Gramsci's work.

I read this work as part of a rather large project I was/still am working on regarding Gramsci's concept of "common sense". Gramsci's work, although not too theoretically dense, can be difficult for readers due to his constant historical references. Reading Gramsci almost always requires a knowledge of Italian fascism, early Bolshevism, Italian intellectual history (mainly Croce), and the conditions which Gramsci was writing under (in a fascist prison and in code as to not attract the attention of the censors). Crehan does a phenomenal job of providing the needed background in a succinct manner and then diving into the meat of Gramsci's cultural arguments.

The book is simply magnificent! It analyzes cultural assumptions and the production of culture through a Gramscian lens. As a political scientist I did not know what to expect from a book with an anthropological base; it ended up being one of the most valuable resources in my work.