China, Historical Blocs and International Relations

In his seminal work, Gramsci, Hegemony and International Relations, Robert W. Cox reflects upon Gramsci's political ontology. Analyzing how Gramsci reasoned about the relationship between civil society and the state, he explores the ways in which Gramsci's conceptualization could be adapted to international relations studies. With a particular focus on the concept of hegemony, Cox maintains that just as hegemonic relationships are formed among social classes within the state, similar structures may be found in the larger global framework. By adopting the Coxian approach, this essay attempts to apply Gramsci's notion of a historical bloc to the analysis of the post-Cold War world order and the rise of China as a viable architect of a new international governance model. It thus maintains that the contemporary global economic and political developments indicate the ongoing formation of an alternative historical bloc which, despite currently falling short of Gramsci's conceptualization of imminent radical change, signifies major implications for inter-state relations and world peace and security.