L’hégémonie au regard des politiques sexuelles et nationales du socialisme bolchévik dans la Russie révolutionnaire

Bolchevism’s revolutionary politics have passed sexual and familial reforms known for their “vanguardist” character. Radical left currents often emphasize these dimensions to associate their political legacy with an emancipatory sexual/gender agenda. This radical moment of the Russian Revolution offers the opportunity to critically examine the Gramscian concept of hegemony in the context of sexualities and the transition to socialism. This paper starts with a review of the basic feminist uses of “hegemony”, then traces the concept back to Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks and examines its consequences for sexual politics in the context of “Fordism”. This case study enables a critique of feminist appropriations of Gramsci, emphasizing the intertwined character of economic and political levels in social-sexual formations. Bolchevism’s revolutionary politics have passed sexual and familial reforms known for their “vanguardist” character. Radical left currents often emphasize these episodes to relate their political legacy to a sexual/gender emancipatory agenda. This radical moment of the Russian Revolution offers the opportunity to critically examine the gramscian concept of hegemony in the context of sexualities and the transition to socialism. This paper starts with a review of the basic feminist uses of “hegemony”, then to trace the concept back to Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks and examine its consequences in the context of “fordism” for sexual politics. This study case provides crucial elements for a critique of feminist appropriations of Gramsci, allowing to emphasize the intertwined character of economic and political levels in social-sexual formations.