Cultural Hegemony- Gramsci

Define: The worldview of those in power becomes the dominant worldview that all those under the influence of that power come to believe and accept as common sense. Because the dominant view is understood by the subordinate class to be “common sense,” it is internalized, and the interests of the ruling class continue to be served.  

Duncombe, S. Theory: Cultural hegemony. Retrieved from:

http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/cultural-hegemony/

Ledwith, M. (2005). Community development: A critical approach. Great Britain: The Policy Press.

Apply: When working in a community, you should try to identify the institution that most seems to be the “ruling class,” or that has an influence that its constituents unknowingly succumb to. (There are likely many different levels of institutions influencing the community, so I can imagine identifying the one that most directly impacts people would be difficult…)You must also determine if this institution’s imposed views are related to the community problem. If they are, the next step involves raising the people’s consciousness about how they have been accepting this institution’s ideas and influence for so long that they have failed to recognize that the problem they face is related to it.   

Adapt: In the field of journalism and news reporting, this theory is important because the media could be seen as that dominant class, perpetuating viewpoints that people “should” believe because an authority is telling them to. Those working in jobs where information is distributed to the public should be aware of this theory for this reason: stay as unbiased as possible so that people can form their own opinions. If the news is reported in such a way that people come to understand certain themes as “common sense” (like reports that show criminals who are people of color more than they show white criminals) that creates a public who is not taught to think critically or raise their consciousness.