Hegemony

I have selected the theoretical concept of ‘hegemony’ in relation to the cultural practise of ‘American culture’. In essence ‘hegemony’ is the term used to describe the existence of dominance of one social group over another, whereby the ruling group, as opposed to gaining dominance by force, acquires some degree of consent from the subordinate group. Ultimately, the dominant group persuades the subordinate group to accept, adopt and practise their values and norms in order to maintain their power. Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci coined one of the best known accounts of hegemony known as ‘cultural hegemony’. His theory, in relation to the state, suggested how the “domination of one class over others is achieved by a combination of political and ideological means.” i.e. the combination of coercion and the role of ideology in winning the consent of dominated classes. It must be noted at this point that although the balance between coercion and consent will vary from society to society, it is generally the latter that will always be of greater importance within capitalist societies. According to Gramsci, the state was the key instrument of coercive force, and the winning consent being achieved by the members of civil society. e.g. the family, trade Unions, the Church etc. In essence, what Gramsci is attempting to convey is that the working-class has a dual consciousness, partly determined by the ideology of the capitalist class and partly determined by their experience of capitalist society. Hegemony, in a more general sense can be seen to reflect this theory. The members of a particular society are not forced by the alleged dominant group to accept their subservient roles. Rather, compromises are established between the two groups in which the dominant group is successful in projecting its own particular way of seeing the world so that it is accepted as ‘common-sense’ by the subordinate group. The grounds on which this hegemony is established is by means of a network of institutions, social relations as well as various cultural practises. I am now going to draw my attention to the practise of ‘American culture’ in relation to the concept of hegemony. American culture is a form of cultural hegemony. According to critic Deirdre Straughan, in this contemporary capitalist world in which we are living, it is clear that “American culture is overwhelming the traditional cultures of other countries.” However, that is not to suggest that American culture is being forced upon these countries against their will. Similarly, these countries are not passively consuming American products and American way of life. By making choices of what and what not to consume, they are actively consuming all the latest “post-modern” elements of American culture represented through a vast variety of forms such as Hollywood movies, music videos, fashion trends, fast-food chain restaurants, etc. Yet they remain completely unaware of the sources and processes that make production of such elements possible. i.e. they are unaware of the dominating forces which exist within their society. This is hegemony taking place. The ‘powers that be’ which exist within America such as the mass media, government institutions, educational institutions, industries, religious groups, and other social institutions establish their dominance over the masses (both nationally and world-wide) through behavioural patterns, i.e. patterns of communication and material reward. The key to keeping these dominant groups in power is the successful representation and incorporation of some very real material interests of subordinate groups into their social relationships. A very good example of this is the mass media in America and how they appeal to subordinate groups, both in and outside of the US. The mass media draws on the conditions of society and how they take shape in peoples minds-ideologically, culturally, politically and religiously. On this basis it appeals to them on a personal level, identifying with their sense of identity and place within society. Take, for example American sitcoms and soap-operas. They attempt to identify with their audience on a personal level by screening shows which are close to the viewers experience. The American sitcom ‘Friends’ is a good example of this. It was first broadcast in 1994 and took America by storm. Gradually, a domino-effect appeared to be occurring around the globe as ‘Friends’ was becoming increasingly more popular. One of the main reasons for this popularity was the ability of contemporary America and indeed the rest of the world to identify with some aspect or another of the programme. ‘Friends’ dealt with a group of young people entering in and out of both straight and gay relationships, having children out of wedlock, and living on mediocre wages in average jobs. It was the perfect representation of modern-day life. Members of various societies strongly empathised with the characters and storylines in the ‘Friends’, resulting in a powerful need for them to follow the lives of the characters, thus causing a dramatic increase in demand for the programme. This clearly displays how the media can ‘compromise’ with the masses in order to achieve and maintain their position of power. The mass-media also uses American sitcoms and soap-operas to appeal to their sense of desire for improvement. Within the context of the modern world, the desire to improve or better oneself is not out of the ordinary. Image is of particularly great importance to contemporary society and the media is highly aware of this fact. The soap-opera ‘Desperate Housewives’ is a particularly good example of ‘persuasive’ American media. Set in the quaint suburban neighbourhood of Wisteria Lane, the show centres around a group of glamorous, attractive women, surrounded by luxury and wealth, as they work through complicated domestic struggles and family life. Upon viewing the soap-opera, members of the public immediately begin to feel a sense of inadequacy as their lives are no comparison to those of the unrealistic characters in the programme. This results in a strong desire within the viewers to improve themselves. Women are particularly influenced as they rush out to purchase the latest trends, hairstyles and household accessories in an attempt to mimic the characters in the programme, thus feeding another major aspect of American media and culture; consumerism. The intentional connection of the different elements of American media such as consumerism and American television as well as the success of the mass media in concealing this from the masses strongly reiterates the cultural hegemony which exists within American society today. I will now draw my attention to another type of hegemony that is prominent in American society today; racial hegemony. There is no disputing that the issue of race has always been a protuberant feature in defining American culture down the years. The ‘whites’ in America have always been the dominating force and the ‘blacks’ the subordinate force. However, in saying so racial hegemony “asks us to move beyond the simple notion of white domination and see that social relations and cultural practises have evolved out of battles, seductions, negotiations, and shared meaning between dominant and subordinate groups, white and black.” In other words in order to successfully analyse racial hegemony in terms of American culture, one must understand how American culture expresses the ways of subordinate (i.e. black) living and thinking, while simultaneously promoting dominant (i.e. white) interests. It can be stated that dominant-class forces could not construct the ‘popular culture’ necessary to keep them in power without the contribution and participation of subordinate groups. Without the contribution of ‘black’ artists and performers etc, the dominant ‘whites’ could not construct the latest ‘American popular culture’ required to maintain their position of dominance. This can be explored in the ‘black culture’ that exists within America today. In essence, ‘black culture’ is a culture of resistance that seeks to “create an identity for a people who desperately want to achieve a sense of community”. Black style and black music such as rap are a true reflection of the social and political contexts in which they operate. For the subordinate ‘blacks’, style is an attempt to defy the dominant ‘whites’ cultural values. A good example of ‘black style’ is the contemporary black urban “gangsta” style that is so popular in America today. Contemporary black style is a black male response to the dominating forces which exist within America. In ‘Cultural Hegemony in the United States’, Lee Artz and Bren Ortega Murphy refer to Cornel West and Richard Majors theory of black urban style. “ For most young black men, power is acquired by stylizing their bodies over space and time in such a way that their bodies reflect their uniqueness and provoke fear in others.. this young black male style is a form of self-identification and resistance in a hostile culture.” Majors suggests that the “gangsta pose” is the black males aggressive assertion of masculinity. Observing the “gangsta” teen walk, we note that “ his posture is limp; one shoulder is dropped; he walks with a strut and an occasional dip, one arm following the dips with an exaggerated swing, his hands are extended rakishly from his body with fingers folded and pointed; every once in a while he grabs his crotch to adjust for movement; his head is cocked and he dons a combination smirk-sneer-scowl-smile.” This is a defiant pose, drenched with pride which reflects a desperate attempt to gain a sense of identity within the society that surrounds them. However, in this attempt to secure a place in American society, unbeknown to them, these black males are ultimately seeking approval from the dominant forces ( i.e. the whites) to accept them into their contemporary society. This reflects the cultural and racial hegemony which exists within America today. Cultural hegemony can also be witnessed through the commercialisation of black culture in modern America. Antonio Gramsci believed that “..hegemony appears in a consensual culture and politics that meet the minimal needs of the majority while simultaneously advancing the interests of the dominant groups.” Cultural hegemony within the contemporary society of America can be seen to follow this theory. The dominant ‘powers that be’ such as the mass media and other institutions are aware that in order for them to maintain their position of power they must pacify the subordinate black communities needs. Therefore, in recognising and acknowledging ‘black culture’ and incorporating it in to dominant culture, the dominating forces illustrate how hegemony accommodates subordinate group interests in non-patronizing ways. However, there are more sinister reasons for the incorporation of ‘black culture’ in to dominant American culture. An example of this would be the mass media and its commercialisation of ‘black culture’. In an ever-growing capitalist society, the mass media is constantly aware of the increasing popularity of ‘black urban culture’, particularly among the youth. They realise that the “artefacts” which accompany this particular culture such as baseball caps, baggy trousers, and “bling” jewellery all possess the potential to be mass-market commodities. The incorporation of big labels such as Nike, Echo and Tommy Hilfiger further add to the popularity and thus the marketing of the goods. The fashion goods that formulate the ‘hip-hop style’ are easily accessible, which greatly appeal to the youth of society. There is a simple strategy that forms the backbone of the ever-increasing popularity of the hip-hop culture: capitalist economic hegemony produces the goods and then capitalist cultural hegemony appropriates them back as symbols of the ‘hip-hop style’ for further marketing. Through commercialisation of the hip-hop culture, the dominating forces send out particular subliminal messages to the youth of society ( both black and white) which ultimately shapes their tastes in music, fashion and language. The result' The entry of ‘black culture’ into mainstream dominant culture. In short the incorporation of ‘black culture’ through the creation of distinctive black style or taste in music simultaneously profits capitalist enterprises as well as the hegemonic values of consumption. To conclude, hegemony is a complex process of consent, resistance and coercion that can be applied to many cultural practises in a vast range of societies today. I have endeavoured to portray this process in my application of the concept of hegemony to the contemporary cultural practise of American culture in an unbiased, analytical manner for the purposes of explicating the logic behind it. Bibliography:  Artz, Lee, Ortega Murphy, Bren, Cultural Hegemony in the United States, 2000  Tulloch, Carol, Rebel without a pause: Black street style and black designers, 1993  http://www.caledonia.org.uk/hegemony.htm  http://www.beginningwithi.com/oped/culture.htm  http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/soc/courses/soc2r3/gramsci/gramheg.htm#1