Gramsci’s concept of hegemony casts a long shadow over radical political theory. Yet how far has this theory got us? Is it still central to feminism, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, anarchism, and other radical social movements today?

Richard Day shows how most contemporary movements attempt to develop new forms of self-organization that can run parallel-or as alternatives-to existing forms. They follow a logic of affinity rather than hegemony.

From Hegel’s concept of recognition, through theories of hegemony and affinity, to Hardt and Negri’s reflections on Empire, Day translates academia’s theoretical and philosophical concerns to the politics of the street.

Richard Day is Associate Professor of Sociology at Queen's University, Kingston. He is a founder of the Critical U. community education project in Vancouver and had participated in food, housing, and financial co-operatives. He is also active in the anti-globalization movement and in defending the university as a public space for critical thought.

Richard J.F. Day's profile page