On this SDA, I definitely spent too much time on it, which is expected from an animation. I went into this with the idea in mind that it's the beginning of the year, so might as well start it off with the SDA format idea that would require the most time dedication while classes aren't yet piling up work. What I failed to realize before I committed was that school doesn't ever go easy on the workload, especially senior year, that I'm also in the middle of my college application process, and that my volleyball season for school already occupies between the ranges of 15 to 30 hours of my week. It probably would've been a smarter idea to do an animation after the end of the volleyball season and once I've completed all of my college application requirements. Maybe, not even do animation next time... but I did really enjoy the creativity it brought along with it. With animation, I was able to illustrate a story using whatever style of drawing and colors I wanted. Though this could also be achieved through a slideshow, I enjoyed an animation that brought you through the history of Italy with a voice-over. I've also always enjoyed watching those "short animated history" videos often found on youtube. As for using SPECS for my SDA, I'm not sure exactly where it fits. It definitely does relate to SPECS when connecting this SDA back with my whole subject of research of this year, but the SDA alone is pretty much just a recount of the history of Italy from its unification to its fall of the monarchy following WWII. While doing this, I decided that for the year, I wanted to focus on Antonio Gramsci and his political thought, primarily because he's had the most impact on not only Italy's socialist ideology but also on the socialist thought around the world. His life period was set in the late 19th century & early 20th century when Italy's past historical events were covered in the first SDA.

For my next "need to know" question, I'm undecided between two: 1. What major events in Gramsci's life could've impacted his outlook on socialism 2. What are Gramsci's critiques given through his prison notes and other writing? Having the background information on Italian political events, I now feel like I can dive into the analysis of Gramsci. I had already started reading his writings over the summer, and I've also already heard of him previously through just the research on Marxist ideologies. I'm interested in his philosophy behind hegemony, and I want to challenge my own critical analysis by comparing his views to socialists in the US, such as Eugene Debs. Just based on prior knowledge, both already have much in common. Both were imprisoned for their beliefs, both wrote prison notes that specifically critiqued capitalism and socialism, and both were very much politically involved in their groups. Gramsci was persecuted by the Fascist regime, while Debs was silenced by the US government. Both times, the same reasoning for silencing them was given: to suppress a revolt. If possible, I want to also tag along with Amadeo Bordiga. He's not as well-known as Gramsci, but he had just as much influential power in Italian politics as Gramsci did. On top of that, I believe he also stuck true to Marx's words more than Gramsci.

Here is my dilema: I'm not sure whether I want to focus my attention on Gramsci and then compare him and his work to prominent Marxist figures of US history, such as Eugene Debs, or if I want to stick with Italian politics and maybe shine a light on "censorship" (Gramsci was jailed under the Fascist dictatorship of Mussolini). Either way, for both scenarios, I know that I'll need to know more about Gramsci and his politics. For my next "Need to Know" question, I aim to answer "What is Gramsci's perspective on Marxism?"

My three sub questions:

1. What exactly is Gramsci's theory behind Hegemony?

   • I might save this as another larger "Need to Know" question because it's so complex and has been referred to multiple times by many different Marxist that its meaning may have changed throughout the years.

   • There isn't really a specific chapter or section dedicated to Hegemony in the book (except chapter 6 titled Hegemony, Relations of Farce, Historical Bloc), but Gramsci does refer to the term multiple times throughout various sections.

2. What are the similarities and differences between the critiques Gramsci gave to Socialism/Marxism and Communism?

   • I'd be reading specifically chapters 1 and 4 in my "The Antonio Gramsci Reader" book, titled Socialism and Marxism 1917-1918 and Communism 1919-24.

3. i) What are Gramsci's critique on Americanism (specifically the American version of Capitalism compared to the Western European method)?
   
   OR
   
   ii) How much of an impact did Fascism have on Gramsci's ideology?

   • For my third sub-question, I'm not sure if I want to reserve this one for an analysis of his critique on Italian Fascism and Cultural Marxism, or if I want to venture into his commentaries on Americanism. It goes back to my dilemma mentioned above, where basically I'm not sure if I want to remain within the Italian sphere of Marxism, or if I want to branch out and add a layer of American ideology.

   • For the former, I'd be analyzing chapter 9, titled Americanism and Fordism. For the latter, it'd be focused on chapter 5, titled Fascist Reaction and Communist Strategy 1924-1926. Ultimately, one of these two sub-questions would help set me up for the third SDA, which would probably be more focused on the implication Fascism or Americanism had on Gramsci's thought.