Hegemony
Explained as simply as can accurately be
Hegemony is the ongoing negotiation of power hierarchies and cultural norms within a society.
When we speak our thoughts, make decisions, and interact with others, we’re creating an emergent leadership structure that, in turn, exerts influence back on us.
These social hierarchies shape our perception of “acceptable” behaviors for everything from politics to beauty. Complex hegemony within social groups is responsible for determining which people are seen as trustworthy versus untrustworthy, which jobs are seen as desirable versus undesirable, which clothes are attractive versus unattractive, which personalities are welcoming versus off-putting, etc., etc.
Hegemonic influence emerges everywhere from political speeches to entertainment media. News organizations use clever framing techniques to deliberately invoke reactions in their audience. Movies and TV shows, whether or not they’re deliberately designed as propaganda, carry a lot of weight in real public opinion.
An example of “successful hegemony” is organizing the 2020 BLM Protests into the largest movement in US history. This involved an ongoing negotiation (explicit and implicit) to develop the group’s central mission statement and decide upon…
