The absence of class: Critical development, NGOs and the misuse of Gramsci’s concept of counter-hegemony

This article argues that a number of concepts originally developed by Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937) have been misapplied by critical development theorists in their engagement with NGOs. This applies particularly to ‘hegemony’ and ‘counter-hegemony’ because they have been detached from the ontological gravity provided by class. However, Gramsci’s terms, to be analytically comprehendible, should be defined in relation to the agency of class. Yet the treatment of class as an emancipatory agent has been neglected by development studies. This hinders a proper recognition of the real worth of Gramsci’s project of counter-hegemony, particularly in light of the crisis afflicting the present conjuncture.