Gramsci and Hegemony

“Hegemony is the process by which we learn to embrace enthusiastically a system of beliefs and practices that end up harming us and working to support the interests of others who have power over us.” (Brookfield, 2005) Antonio Gramsci “Everything which influences or is able to influence public opinion, directly or indirectly, belongs to it; libraries, schools, associations and clubs of various kinds, even architecture and the layout and names of streets.” (Gramsci, 1985. Pg385) According to the Marxist sociologist Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937) '[...] the rule of one class over another does not depend on economic or physical power alone but rather on persuading the ruled to accept the system of beliefs of the ruling class and to share their social, cultural, and moral values' (cited in Joll 1977: 8). Gramsci called this concept 'hegemony'. Roland Barthes (Mythologies, 1957) was the first to recognise how the 'power of myth' helped to make hegemonic imbalances seem to be 'common sense'. One technique that is used regularly is to label undesired behaviour as 'deviant'.