This is the sixth contribution in the series Thesis Pieces featured on For the Desk Drawer written by my past and present doctoral students. This contribution from Philip Roberts examines the work of Carlos Nelson Coutinho in shaping the reception of Gramsci in Brazil and how the categories of hegemony, passive revolution, war of position/war of manoeuvre and others inhere within the history of Brazilian state formation and contemporary politics under the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT).
Brill’s Historical Materialism Book Series is providing regular insights into Marxist theory developed in non-Anglophone settings, including two from Brazilian authors. One of the latest volumes is Carlos Nelson Coutinho’s Gramsci’s Political Thought (2012) that complements Ricardo Antunes’ contribution The Meanings of Work (2012) and casts light upon the roots of the Gramscian tradition in Brazil.