The Siege of Institutions: The New Right and Counter-Hegemony

The article analyzes the evolution of the American right's strategy, which has shifted from electoral competition to a systemic 'siege of institutions.' The author points to the adaptation of the Gramscian idea of cultural hegemony and the 'long march through the institutions' to replace personnel in education and administration. A key element of this strategy was the use of the term Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a political construct (frame alignment), which unified scattered oppositions to DEI programs and anti-racist initiatives under one label. The text emphasizes the difference between the academic definition of CRT and its political use for social mobilization, which led to specific legislative actions, such as Donald Trump's regulations against racial and gender stereotyping.