Gramsci in India

Translations of Antonio Gramsci’s works into English from the 1950s onwards drew the attention of Indian academics searching for alternative understandings of Marxism—especially the Subaltern Studies Group launched in 1982 by Ranajit Guha. The end of the 1977 Emergency saw the rapid spread of democratic mobilisations across India and contributed to a growing interest in exploring Marxist ideas outside the Soviet framework. Despite their differences, the parliamentary Left parties believed that the end of Congress’s dominance would bring a change in political power where the Left would be the decisive force. Instead, there was an emergence of regional parties supported by dominant peasant castes and headed by authoritarian populist leaders, and the Hindu-nationalist BJP rose steadily to power as a national party.