ABSTRACT
Paul Michael Garrett focuses on the work of Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937). He maintains that Gramsci is a vital figure for social work educators and practitioners seeking to nurture critical pedagogies aiming to create wider social change. The chapter explores Americanism, Fordism and Taylorism and it goes on to refer to how Gramsci viewed these ‘isms’ as central to how capitalist modernity was evolving. Hegemony – the theme Gramsci is most associated with – is also discussed, along with his understanding of ‘common sense’. Garrett also briefly examines how the Italian Marxist endeavoured to destabilise and render more democratic the whole idea of what constitutes an ‘intellectual’. Having investigated some of these key conceptualisations, the remainder of the chapter dwells on the connection between Gramsci’s theorisation and the pedagogical and political role of critical scholars and practitioners within contemporary social work.
