The Poverty and Potential of Gramscian Thought in International Relations

Neo-Gramsican theory has become a widely used approach within the discipline of International Relations. Inspired by Robert Cox's insights into the contribution of the Italian socialist Antonio Gramsci to issues such as hegemony, power, class and production, Gramscian theory has become an increasingly popular approach to examining the character of world order among students and scholars alike. However, such theories have often relied too much upon Cox's own development of Gramcian thought, while overlooking other developments from other disciplines of the social sciences. This article overviews the progress of Gramscian theory in International Relations and argues that while certain achievements have been made towards transferring Gramsci's ideas to the global arena, much has tended to slip back towards structural Marxist accounts of class and state. In response, it is argued that a fresh account towards Gramscian theory is required — one that engages far more with approaches developed outside the Coxian dominated field of International Relations.