Hamish Henderson: - The First Gramscian

The connection between Scottish folklorist Hamish Henderson and Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci is a powerful example of how intellectual ideas can cross borders and cultures to fuel radical social change. While separated by nationality and generation, Henderson found in Gramsci’s work a vital theoretical framework for his own cultural mission in Scotland.

Antonio Gramsci, writing from Mussolini’s prisons, revolutionized Marxist thought by arguing that social change requires not just political revolution but also cultural hegemony—the process by which the ruling class secures consent through its control of culture, education, and media. He argued that a counter-hegemonic "war of position" was needed to create a new, proletarian culture.

Hamish Henderson directly applied this theory to post-war Scotland. He saw the collection and revitalization of Scottish folk song not as a nostalgic exercise but as a political act. The folk tradition, for Henderson, was the authentic, often radical, voice of the "common people"—what Gramsci called the "subaltern." By recovering and promoting these songs, from bothy ballads to contemporary protest anthems, Henderson aimed to build a confident, working-class Scottish culture that could challenge the established British cultural and political order.

In essence, Henderson operationalized Gramsci’s ideas. He used the "folk process" as a tool for a Gramscian war of position, empowering communities through their own cultural expression. His work with the School of Scottish Studies and his role in the Scottish folk revival were practical endeavours to create a counter-hegemony, proving that Gramsci’s theories could find a potent and lasting expression in the struggle for Scottish cultural and political identity.

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