Sounding the Alarm, and the Italian Regions’ Limited Ability to Counter Democratic Regression

Cultural hegemony lies at the heart of Meloni’s coalition government and its policymaking that continues to reshape the public space vis-à-vis immigration, sexual minorities, cultural institutions, and the freedom in academia and the media. Reminding us of the work of the Italian intellectual Antonio Gramsci, cultural hegemony refers to the forces of persuasion that enable a society to consent to political change. Its construction is typically accomplished through social institutions, which enable those in positions of power to significantly shape the values, expectations, worldviews, and behaviors of the broader society. This process takes place through the influence and control of institutions, and it has been inherent to the many and mostly populist constitutional politics debates Italy experienced since the 1990s.