There has been a recent revival of interest in Gramsci's theory of hegemony. Within this revival, some scholars have focused upon the question of the sources of Gramsci's theory, particularly with reference to linguistic sources; others have focused upon applications of Gramsci's theory of hegemony, particularly in conjunction with the question of the subaltern. This article seeks to contribute to this revival by nuancing three aspects of Gramsci's theory of hegemony. Firstly, Croce's presumed influence over the latter is rejected in favor of a commonality of concerns with a whole generation of Italian intellectuals, not just Croce. Secondly, it is emphasized that philosophy played an important role in Gramsci's theory of hegemony in that it provided the all-important critiques of common sense and false consciousness. Lastly, it is argued that the intellectuals' need for a new hegemony was not just organic but included traditional intellectuals in complex new formations.

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Gramsci’s theory of intellectuals is widely cited but rarely closely studied. This article makes a case for a rereading of this theory. This is both desirable and necessary because, as the article shows, it is a more nuanced and yet also encompassing theory than recognized in current scholarship on the sociology of intellectuals, and it actually has much to contribute to a comprehensive modern sociology of intellectuals. This is chiefly by the way it took class into account while transcending it. Far from being limited to a description of intellectuals as class-bound, Gramsci’s theory in fact also saw intellectuals as class-less and a class-in-themselves. It also took into account intrinsic qualities of intellectual production and can contribute to questions in subaltern studies and the study of counter-hegemony.

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Gramsci belonged in a tradition which stemmed from Antonio Labriola, not from Croce and idealist philosophy. This tradition saw Marxism as a philosophy of praxis, a new and original philosophy distinct from both idealism and materialism. Gramsci took his lead from Labriola but also further expanded upon the latter’s approach by seeking the fundamental concepts of the new philosophy in the Theses on Feuerbach. In particular, Gramsci recovered both the concept of praxis and the concept of human nature from the Theses. With the concept of human nature, he expanded even upon Marx’s formulation, by including the individual within it in a way that lays the foundation for modern social sciences based on the notion of the individual, which was, in Gramsci’s case, a socially-rich notion.

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