- Ideology Hegemony
- Ideology hegemony initially theorizes the manner in which domination as well as exploitation relationship are integrated in the predominant ideas of the society. Distinct levels of ideology homogeneity exist depending on the level of societies which exist. A research carried out by Nelson & Robison (294) to examine the linguistic construction as well as the reproduction of hegemony that inscribes an increasing decisive ideology of social inequality which deny values some marginally located Americans and at the same time placing value on others. The findings found predominant ideologies in the political perspective of not only America but also other regions whereby for instance the Mao’s ideology as well as other ideologies dominate the society. The relationship existing between public poser and privileged discourse has attracted attention to historians as well as different scholars. As Nelson & Robison (310) suppose, ideology is complex and ambiguous term whereby some authors perceive it as special organization signifying practices to reproduce lived relations and establish an association in the dominant mode of production. Ideology can be perceived as an essential component of the superstructure and distinguishes a social class in the community or society.
- The Marxist theory is a concept of ideology which describes the procedure through which the dominating ideas in a given society implicate or portray the interest of a ruling social class. The theory however has been under critics from different researcher who argue from a social perspective and this resulted to the ideology being viewed as a problematic notion following the fact that many of its notions have treated as a knowledge body that the predominant class transmits wholesale to its subordinate classes. According to (Purcell 291) hegemony relates to a simple and a political relation type of politics but not essentially founded on social perspective. The ideology homogeneity has been historical and socially been based on the Marxist theory especially during the twentieth century. Based on a social formation, variety of hegemonic nodal points can be examined and studied and they add up to points of condensation of numerous social relations. Gramsci introduced hegemony as the form of ideological control in helping to explain the paradox that material inequality governed by self rule exists in the society (Buckel 437). Hegemony is implicated in two major ways whereby the first explains it as a denomination and the second explains it as intellectual and moral leadership.
- Based on the key distinction that supposes that the former is descending hegemony (political over civil society) whereas the latter is ascending (civil over political society) (Buckel 438). Hegemony as denomination is explained by hegemony-maintenance which explains the vertical movement of the ideological control exercised especially by the ruling class in the political society as contrasted to masses of civil society. Contrary to the denomination as perceived under hegemony, the intellectual and moral leadership generally explains the shift from the civil society through the leadership of ruling class and winning over the other subaltern classes (Purcell 292). Hegemony can be viewed in a perspective where it seeks to not only establish or create a collective will but also come up with an entire concept of the world. This is therefore concluded as an all-embracing concept that governs and influences all the institutions in the society inclusive of the political realm and covering the communicative aspect.
- Force is correlated to authority but violence as well as agitation consent are associated with hegemony. The power of ideology therefore does not only exist in the political society but also evident in the social dimension. the Marxist theory in conjunction with others associate or link ideology to a vision of society that is predominated by economic class perceived as field of social power, whereas the theorists basing on gender as well as race have aimed at determining the economic class as part of social power. Despite the fact that the key perspective of ideology remains to be the aspect of theoretical view, different scholars and researchers have posed different views on the distinct theories which exist in the society.
- References
- Nelson, Linda Williamson, and Maynard T. Robison. "WHICH AMERICANS ARE MORE EQUAL AND WHY: THE LINGUISTIC CONSTRUCTION OF INEQUALITY IN AMERICA." Race, Gender & Class 20, no. 1/2 (February 2013): 294-306. SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed November 4, 2013).
- Purcell, Mark. 2009. "Hegemony and Difference in Political Movements: Articulating Networks of Equivalence." New Political Science 31, no. 3: 291-317. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 4, 2013).
- Buckel, Sonja, and Andreas Fischer-Lescano. "Gramsci Reconsidered:Hegemony in Global Law." Leiden Journal Of International Law 22, no. 3 (September 2009): 437-454. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 4, 2013).
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