Genealogia e storia dell’estetica

Resumen

This essay examines the concepts of hegemony, genealogy, and historical responsibility through a dialogue between Gramsci, Croce, and Foucault. It argues that the weakening of Croce’s intellectual hegemony in twentieth-century Italian thought contributed to the erosion of cultural identity, autonomy, and responsibility, while highlighting the enduring importance of historical inquiry. By comparing Croce’s history of ideas with Foucault’s genealogical method, the paper explores how genealogy uncovers the contingent formation of knowledge, power, and institutions without relying on teleological or foundational narratives. Particular attention is devoted to the history of aesthetics as a privileged field in which genealogical analysis reveals the symbolic, expressive, and critical dimensions of artistic forms. Through examples drawn from Florensky and Lyotard, the essay shows how genealogical approaches to aesthetics illuminate the plurality of perspectives, the fragmentation of modernity, and the ongoing capacity of art to challenge established structures of meaning and power.