Hegemony is rooted in the struggle for power and influence in a given community. In 1971, Antonio Gramsci wrote in “Selections from Prison Notebooks”, that the ruling class dominates the lower class through intellectual rule. Gramsci added, “The supremacy of a social group manifests itself in two ways, as domination and as intellectual and moral leadership.” This is the foundation of his ideas about cultural hegemony, intellectual and moral leadership. Gramsci started the conversation about hegemony with his theory behind the intellectual and the state. The idea of the “organic intellectual” (Gramsci, 1971) is that every social group forms an intellectual tower and people naturally fall within it. This group of intellectuals serves an essential
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It could be anything of value to the society. Thus, it is at the foundation of any hegemonic society. As Gramsci wrote, this type of organizational classification is done out of a need to, “create the conditions most favorable to the expansion of their own class.” (Gramsci, 1971) Hegemony, in this case, is critical to the survivability of the social group. Without this hierarchy and the order it brings, the group is at risk of collapse. This idea of hegemony and social class power also is a key component of Marxism. Marx wrote in “Ruling class and Ruling Ideas”, that, “the ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas.” This, once again, reinforces the idea that those in charge of a society build the ideas of that society. Marx also reinforces the idea of Gramsci’s intellectual hierarchy, calling it the “division of labor” (Marx, 1845).
Dividing social groups into separate categories based on the situational intelligence of given members is foundation of these ideas. Members of the lower class work, while members of the upper class rule and create intellectual property. This division lends itself to a higher culture for the upper class, and the division of a group into different levels of power and influence also helps keep a basic social …show more content…
That is why I believe influence is a pivotal word to use when defining and discussing the idea of hegemony theory. Influence over the lower classes gives the superior class a kind of de facto mandate to rule.
While thinking of how a group uses influence to control the lesser classes, I found myself reflecting on the idea of “moral and intellectual leadership” (Gramsci, 1971). Taking control of the media or pushing propaganda is one way to influence a group. However, the use of intellectual hegemony to build a wall to social movement is also an effective way to maintain control over the lower classes. In our popular culture, the end result of a hegemonic society is everywhere. A power class controls most countries and groups in the world. To understand the world around us, we must first understand the hegemony of these groups. A repressed culture will grow and transform differently than a culture that is allowed to
It could be anything of value to the society. Thus, it is at the foundation of any hegemonic society. As Gramsci wrote, this type of organizational classification is done out of a need to, “create the conditions most favorable to the expansion of their own class.” (Gramsci, 1971) Hegemony, in this case, is critical to the survivability of the social group. Without this hierarchy and the order it brings, the group is at risk of collapse. This idea of hegemony and social class power also is a key component of Marxism. Marx wrote in “Ruling class and Ruling Ideas”, that, “the ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas.” This, once again, reinforces the idea that those in charge of a society build the ideas of that society. Marx also reinforces the idea of Gramsci’s intellectual hierarchy, calling it the “division of labor” (Marx, 1845).
Dividing social groups into separate categories based on the situational intelligence of given members is foundation of these ideas. Members of the lower class work, while members of the upper class rule and create intellectual property. This division lends itself to a higher culture for the upper class, and the division of a group into different levels of power and influence also helps keep a basic social …show more content…
That is why I believe influence is a pivotal word to use when defining and discussing the idea of hegemony theory. Influence over the lower classes gives the superior class a kind of de facto mandate to rule.
While thinking of how a group uses influence to control the lesser classes, I found myself reflecting on the idea of “moral and intellectual leadership” (Gramsci, 1971). Taking control of the media or pushing propaganda is one way to influence a group. However, the use of intellectual hegemony to build a wall to social movement is also an effective way to maintain control over the lower classes. In our popular culture, the end result of a hegemonic society is everywhere. A power class controls most countries and groups in the world. To understand the world around us, we must first understand the hegemony of these groups. A repressed culture will grow and transform differently than a culture that is allowed to