Hegemony SOCIOLOGY ESSAY: EXAMINING THE CONCEPT OF HEGEMONY Name Course Tutor University City, State Date 1 Hegemony 2 Sociology Essay: Examining the Concept of Hegemony Introduction The concept of hegemony has historically been used to understand power dynamics, cultural influence, and social structures across different disciplines. According to Herrmann (2017, p. 1), hegemony has historically been used to signify sovereign rules or leadership and is thus intricately connected to ideology, power, and struggle. As the author illustrates, the concept has also been expanded to economic, political, and military dominance of one nation over another. Among the largely recognized theorists behind the concept of hegemony is Antonio Gramsci, a famous Italian political theorist and Marxist philosopher who made critical contributions to the comprehension of hegemony. The fundamental objective of this paper is to analyze the concept of hegemony, specifically starting with Gramsci’s perspective. However, the paper will take a step back and examine the intellectual roots of the concept of hegemony. Central to the discussion will be an exploration of the development of this concept after Antonio Gramsci. Antonio Gramsci’s Perspective on Hegemony Gramsci’s concept of hegemony transcends the traditional Marxist notions that viewed hegemony largely as dominance primarily through economic means. Riley (2011, p. 4) quotes Gramsci’s assertion regarding hegemony, which illustrated that “supremacy of a social group manifests itself in two ways, as 'domination' and as 'intellectual and moral leadership.'" Through this statement, it is clear that Gramsci articulated that the ruling class obtains hegemony not only through coercion but also through the cultural and ideological consent of the subordinate groups. For Gramsci, hegemony was not a product of physical force. Instead, the theorist asserts that the Hegemony 3 ruling class achieved hegemony largely through controlling crucial institutions such as religion, education, and media. Such institutions allowed the ruling class to disseminate its ideologies and mold the cultural values of the civil society. As argued by Herrmann (2017, p. 1), hegemony insofar as Gramsci is concerned emerged when the worldview “Weltanschauung” was consented to by the subordinate class as the norm for the society. Martin (2006, p. 142) illustrates that for Gramsci, hegemony was primarily coercive. Gramsci suggested that hegemony was anchored on the superstructural factors, i.e., political, cultural, and ideological aspects. Therefore, unlike the Marxist emphasis, economic domination by class was insufficient for the ruling class to exercise its power in society. Instead, the ruling class had to wield political and ideological power over the subordinate organizations, groups, and classes in the entire civil society. Intellectual Roots of Hegemony Principally, the concept of hegemony has an undoubtedly long intellectual history that predates Gramsci. Even though Gramsci is credited with making the concept of hegemony popular and refined, its roots can be traced to the philosophical and political thoughts that preceded Gramsci. The foundational notions of hegemony can be traced back to Karl Marx, a German-born economist, political theorist, and philosopher known for his famous works such as The Communist Manifesto. Marx coined the concept of hegemony in his analysis of the role of ideology and class struggle. In his exploration of hegemony, Marx articulated that apart from controlling the means of production, the ruling class, the bourgeoisie, also controlled the production of ideas, thus influencing the prevailing ideology to ensure its power had been maintained. This statement is supported by Lung and Ball (2015, p. 3), who quote Marx and illustrate that the class which had means of “material production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production, so that thereby, generally speaking, the ideas of Hegemony 4 those who lack the means of mental production are subject to it.” Marx’s concept of hegemony was split into two main categories: the base (production) and the ideological superstructure (consisting of the law, culture, and the state, among other institutions). In this regard, the bourgeoisie, through controlling the base, would also dominate the ideological superstructure and use it to impose its worldview upon the proletariat, the subordinate class that seemingly did not have control over anything. As a result, Marx suggested that the bourgeoisie used the ideological structure to transmit ideologies that would largely benefit itself and thus secure the ability to rule over the proletariat. The idea of ideological control over the subordinate group by the ruling class was further developed by Friedrich Engels, a notable collaborator of Karl Marx. Engels focused more on the bourgeoisie (the ruling class) imposing control over cultural and educational institutions to perpetuate its dominance over the proletariat (the subordinate class). Engels provided a solid foundation upon which the comprehension of how ideology operated in upholding social order was built. Another notable individual associated with the intellectual origin of the concept of hegemony was Antonio Labriola, an Italian Marxist philosopher who also contributed to the understanding of ideology and its critical role in class society. The notions put forth by Labriola went a long way in influencing the succeeding thinkers, including Antonio Gramsci. Overall, it is worth noting that although the aforementioned thinkers laid a solid groundwork for visualizing the complex interplay between ideology, power, and social order, Gramsci provided a unique concept of hegemony. He expounded on the notions of the previous thinkers to introduce the ideological and cultural power dimensions, thus illustrating that domination alone was insufficient in maintaining the ruling class's power. Still, the consent of the subordinate class was also needed for hegemony to be achieved. Hegemony 5 Subsequent Development (after Gramsci) of the Concept of Hegemony After Gramsci, scholars embarked on a journey to develop further and refine the concept of hegemony, integrating it in different contexts and disciplines. The notable extensions of Gramsci's notions can be found in the works of individuals such as Stuart Hall. Colpani (2022, p. 225) illustrates how Hall heavily engaged with Gramsci’s works during the 1980s. According to the author, Hall took a definitive stance to expand the insights provided by Gramsci and thus characterize social formations as “complexly structured totalities.” Gramsci proposed a concept of hegemony that allowed a shift toward more concrete historical analysis. Hall expanded on his ideas to illustrate how the departure from abstraction allowed a more robust comprehension of the relationship between ideological, economic, and political aspects within social formations. While referencing Gramsci, Hall articulated that these aspects must be considered while analyzing social dynamics. As Colpani (2022) illustrates, other intellectuals who have developed Gramsci’s concept of hegemony include Chantal Mouffe and Ernesto Laclau. Within the contemporary discussion, hegemony has also been incorporated into international relations to understand the dominance of powerful countries over others. For instance, Clark (2011), in his book Hegemony in International Society, embarks on a journey to illustrate how hegemony threatens international society. Conclusion This essay has gone a long way in analyzing the concept of hegemony, associating it closely with Antonio Gramsci, who is perceived as responsible for popularizing it. The concept of hegemony, as demonstrated above, has evolved and significantly expanded over time. The essay has also traced the intellectual origins of the concept of hegemony, which dates back to the time of Karl Marx and Engels. As demonstrated in the above analysis, hegemony has undergone Hegemony 6 notable developments after Gramsci, finding its way into contemporary society. Overall, this concept remains an immortal lens that can be used to critically explore cultural influences, power relations, and strategies through which the dominant groups uphold their control. Hegemony 7 References Clark, I., 2011. Hegemony in international society. Oxford University Press. Colpani, G., 2022. Two theories of hegemony: Stuart Hall and Ernesto Laclau in conversation. Political Theory, 50(2), pp.221-246. Herrmann, A.F., 2017. Hegemony. The International Encyclopedia of Organizational Communication, pp.1-6. Lung, D. and Ball, M., 2015. The Concept of Hegemony. Available at SSRN 2961426. Martin, J., 2006. Antonio Gramsci. In Palgrave advances in continental political thought (pp. 136-151). London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. Riley, D.J., 2011. Hegemony, democracy, and passive revolution in Gramsci's prison notebooks. California Italian Studies, 2(2).
