Gramsci and the Prison Notebooks: a semiotic approach to culture?

The present paper will discuss the relationship between culture and language in Gramsci's Prison Notebooks. The aim will be to determine wether Gramsci's approach to the topic of culture can be defined as "semiotic". To guide us through the discussion, and to better understand the meaning of a "semiotic approach to culture", we will take as a reference the theory of Juri Lotman, whose methodological and conceptual framework we will compare to Gramsci's reflections on language and culture not only to determine wether Gramsci's approach to culture could be defined "semiotic" (in Lotman's sense), but also to better understand his use of the word "culture", and its complex, dynamic relatioship with language.