HEGEMONY

 

Hegemony means, in Greek, rule or leadership. It is a situation in which one country or organization or group has more power than others. Cultural theory borrowed the concept from the writings of Italian communist activist and philosopher Antonio Gramsci. He uses the term hegemony to describe the operation of ideology in modern capitalist society. Ideology is a set of ideas and beliefs of a group or political party. The ruling class always tries to impose their ideas, practices, and beliefs on society.

According to classical Marxism, the dominant ideology in a society is determined by the interest of the dominant economic class. In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx says that 'ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas'. Those who have control over economic power or material production, they control the world of ideas and beliefs in society.

Antonio Gramsci further says that the ruling class secures, maintains, and sustains its hegemony not only through its economic power or authority but also by exercising its intellectual, moral, and ideological influences. The primary aim of the ruling class is to persuade or convince the majority of the population to accept their ideology as an ideal one. They use different government bodies and media to create such an impression in society. 

According to Antonio Gramsci, a ruling class always maintains its hegemonic position, institutions, hierarchies, ideas, and all related social practices in order to accept their economic interest as a natural order of things. Therefore ruling party's hegemonic position takes place in a common-sense mentality in the society. 

In Gramsci's view, ruling parties always take a hegemonic position by consent of the society but there are also some occasions when people challenge their hegemonic position. In such a situation people may express their dissatisfaction and opposition in the form of demonstrations, strikes, and riots. It may be necessary to restore the social and political order by using force rather than consent. This is known as the exercise of the rule of law or an explicit show of force.

Gramsci distinguished between consent and coercion in his discussion. This was further developed by the French Marxist philosopher, Louis Althusser (1918- 1990), particularly in his influential essay, ‘Ideology and ideological state apparatuses’. Here Althusser distinguished between ‘repressive’ state and ‘IDEOLOGICAL’ STATE APPARATUSES - the first referring to the government, courts, army, and police, the second to political parties, the Church, media, family and, above all, for Althusser, education. This, too, has had an influence on contemporary Cultural Theory, especially on British Cultural Studies.

Raymond Williams is the one who gives preference to the Gramscian model. In his work, Raymond Williams explains the idea of hegemony as a combination of the both concepts of POWER and DISCOURSE in the study of the media, popular and youth cultures, etc.

Gramsci had suggested that a particular hegemony is not a permanent situation, dominating class has to renew their consent from subordinate groups. 

The discussion of hegemony in terms of class became less active in the 1980s and 1990s. Nevertheless, the idea of hegemony has earned more attention of a generation, especially attention of academics and students. Now people are started to discuss the topic in terms of popular press, style of clothing or dance, etc. Still, It is remains as a central and productive concept in the study of culture, and practical work.