Cultural hegemony is defined in Marxist philosophy as the ruling class’s dominance over a culturally diverse society by manipulating its culture—beliefs and explanations, perceptions, values, and more—so that the ruling class’s worldview becomes the accepted cultural norm. It is a concept developed by Italian Marxist philosopher and politician Antonio Gramsci. It refers to a cultural group’s or class’s dominance over others, achieved through the imposition and dissemination of its own values, beliefs, and norms as the standard for the entire society. According to Gramsci, cultural hegemony is a form of power and control exercised by the ruling class in order to maintain their social, economic, and political dominance.
Cultural hegemony, according to Gramsci, operates through the manipulation and control of institutions such as education, media, religion, and other cultural means. The ruling class disseminates its ideas, ideologies, and worldviews through these institutions, portraying them as natural and common sense. The ruling-class worldview, as the universal dominant ideology, misrepresents the social, political, and economic status quo as natural, inevitable, and perpetual social conditions that benefit all social classes, rather than artificial social constructs that benefit only the ruling class. As a result, dominant cultural beliefs become deeply embedded in society, influencing how people think, perceive, and act, often without their awareness.
Cultural hegemony operates through consent and voluntary compliance rather than coercion or force. People in society may internalize and accept dominant cultural values as common sense or “normal,” even if those values are contrary to their own interests. The ruling class, therefore, maintains its dominance not only through economic and political power but also by shaping the culture and worldview of the subordinate classes. The denotations and connotations of the term cultural hegemony in philosophy and sociology derive from the Ancient Greek word hegemonia (v), which indicates the hegemon’s leadership and régime.
Hegemony is the geopolitical dominance exercised by an empire, with the hegemon (leader state) ruling the empire’s subordinate states through the threat of intervention, an implied means of power, rather than through the threat of direct rule—military invasion, occupation, and territorial annexation.
Cultural hegemony, critics argue, can perpetuate social inequality, maintain power imbalances, and silence alternative perspectives and voices. It may suppress marginalized groups’ cultures, languages, and traditions, reinforcing the ruling class’s dominance. Cultural hegemony, on the other hand, is not a constant or static phenomenon. Social movements, counter-narratives, and the emergence of new cultural expressions that challenge the dominant order can all be used to challenge, resist, and transform it.
Overall, cultural hegemony is a multifaceted and complex concept that investigates the relationship between power, culture, and social dominance. It explains how societies are formed and how dominant groups maintain control through cultural means.
