Cultural Hegemony

Definition

Cultural hegemony refers to the dominance of a particular culture or set of cultural values, beliefs, and practices within a society, often through subtle and pervasive means rather than overt force. It describes the process by which the ruling class or dominant group in a society shapes and influences the cultural norms, values, and beliefs of the population, making their worldview appear natural, universal, and commonsensical.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Cultural hegemony is a key concept in understanding the relationship between culture, power, and social change.
2. It operates through the dissemination of dominant ideas, values, and beliefs, which become internalized and accepted as common sense by the population.
3. The dominant culture often uses media, education, and other cultural institutions to perpetuate its hegemony and marginalize or delegitimize alternative cultural perspectives.
4. Countercultures and subcultures can emerge as a response to cultural hegemony, challenging the dominant narratives and offering alternative ways of thinking and living.
5. Cultural change can occur when dominant cultural narratives are disrupted, and alternative perspectives gain legitimacy and influence within a society.

Review Questions

• Explain how cultural hegemony relates to the concepts of high, low, pop, sub, and counterculture, as well as cultural change.
  • Cultural hegemony is the process by which the dominant culture in a society maintains its power and influence over the population, shaping their values, beliefs, and practices. This dominant culture often promotes certain forms of high culture, popular culture, and mainstream cultural expressions as the norm, while marginalizing or delegitimizing alternative cultural forms, such as subcultures and countercultures. These subordinate cultural expressions may challenge the dominant cultural hegemony and contribute to cultural change over time, as they gain legitimacy and influence within the broader society.
• Analyze how theoretical perspectives on culture, such as functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism, can be used to understand the concept of cultural hegemony.
  • From a functionalist perspective, cultural hegemony can be seen as a stabilizing force that maintains social order and cohesion, as the dominant culture's values and beliefs become internalized and accepted as the norm. Conflict theorists, on the other hand, would view cultural hegemony as a tool used by the dominant class to maintain their power and privilege, suppressing the cultural expressions of subordinate groups. Symbolic interactionists might focus on how cultural hegemony is reinforced through the everyday interactions and shared meanings within a society, as individuals internalize and reproduce the dominant cultural narratives.
• Evaluate the role of cultural institutions, such as education, media, and the arts, in the perpetuation of cultural hegemony, and discuss how these institutions can be challenged or transformed to promote greater cultural diversity and inclusion.
  • Cultural institutions like education, media, and the arts play a crucial role in the perpetuation of cultural hegemony, as they are often controlled by the dominant group and used to disseminate their values, beliefs, and perspectives as the norm. These institutions can reinforce the dominance of certain cultural forms, while marginalizing or delegitimizing alternative cultural expressions. However, these institutions can also be challenged and transformed to promote greater cultural diversity and inclusion, by amplifying the voices and perspectives of marginalized groups, challenging dominant narratives, and creating space for the expression of diverse cultural forms. This can contribute to the disruption of cultural hegemony and the emergence of more pluralistic and equitable cultural landscapes.

Related terms

Gramsci's Theory of Hegemony: The Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci's concept of cultural hegemony, which emphasizes the role of cultural and ideological forces in maintaining the power of the dominant class, rather than solely relying on coercion or economic control.

Dominant Culture:

The cultural values, beliefs, and practices that are widely accepted and promoted as the norm within a society, often reflecting the interests and perspectives of the dominant or ruling group.

Counterculture:

A subculture or group that rejects and challenges the dominant cultural norms, values, and practices, often seeking to create alternative ways of living and thinking.