Hegemony

noun (uncountable and countable)

/hɪˈɡɛməni/

The dominance of one group, class, state, or ideology over others — achieved not merely through force but through the manufacture of consent, whereby the dominated groups internalise the values of the dominant. Antonio Gramsci's Marxist theory of hegemony, developed in his Prison Notebooks (1929–35), is widely applied in Indian sociology to explain upper-caste cultural dominance and the persistence of Brahminical ideology even among lower castes. In international relations, US hegemony refers to its post-Cold War structural dominance.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Gramsci's concept of cultural hegemony helps explain why Dalit communities historically reproduced Brahminical ritual practices — the dominant group's worldview had been naturalized as common sense through centuries of ideological saturation.

Synonyms

dominancesupremacyascendancypreponderanceleadershippredominancesuzerainty

Antonyms

subordinationsubjugationequalitycounter-hegemonyresistance

🌱 Word Family

hegemon (noun), hegemonic (adjective), hegemonize (verb), hegemonism (noun), hegemonist (noun)

🔡 Root

Greek hēgemonia = leadership, dominance, from hēgemon = leader, guide (from hēgeisthai = to lead)

📜 Etymology

From Greek hēgemonia (leadership, supremacy), from hēgemōn (leader, guide), related to hēgeisthai (to lead). Used in classical Greek to describe Athenian or Spartan leadership of the city-state leagues. Entered modern political discourse primarily through Antonio Gramsci's reinterpretation in the 1930s, which shifted its meaning from simple military-political dominance to cultural and ideological leadership achieved through consensus.

🧠 Memory Hook

HEGEMON = LEADER in Greek. Think of a MEGA-LEADER: HEGE-MONY sounds like 'HEY, IT'S MY MONEY' — the one who controls resources and culture controls everything. Gramsci's insight: hegemony is dominance so complete that the dominated don't even question it.

👥 Society 📖 Seen in: Salient Features of Indian Society — D...

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