Department of Child and Youth Studies

British youth cultural studies andthe moments of Gramsci 

10 November, 10-12 amRoom  205, Frescati hagväg 24, Frescati hage

08-16 20 00   lucas.gottzen@buv.su.se   www.buv.su.se

Steve’s paper examines the impact ofAntonio Gramsci’s work on British culturalstudies. While histories of cultural studiesfrequently concentrate on a 1970s‘moment of the break’, Steve offers alonger mapping of the ‘Gramscian turn’. Inthe first part, Steve examines theappearance of Gramsci’s ideas after 1957,and their dissemination by various BritishNew Left thinkers. The second sectionlooks at the adoption of Gramscian ideasby British cultural scholars, initially in theBirmingham CCCS, and their deployment

in various texts and contexts. The finalsection considers criticisms of theGramscian turn, particularly the criticismthat hegemonic theory enabled culturalstudies to take an uncritical andcelebratory position in relation to popularculture. Steve Jones is Principal Lecturer in Media and CulturalStudies at Nottingham Trent University. He is the authorof Antonio Gramsci (Routledge, 2006) and co-author ofFood and Cultural Studies (Routledge, 2004). His researchinterests lie in consumer culture (particularly food anddebt studies), national identity, critical university studiesand cultural policy.