Aesthetics and Power

Objective: Explain how cultural hegemony operates and provide concrete examples

Cultural hegemony refers to the manipulation of culture in a society ---beliefs, perceptions, values, mores---to the extent that this imposed worldview becomes the accepted norm, allowing a ruling elite to achieve dominion through non-violent consensual means

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937): an Italian Marxist social theorist

Gramsci's ideas

• Capitalism maintained control through ideology
• Bourgeoisie culture became "common sense"
• Hegemony: the dominance of one social group or class in a society that exercises control subtly using a mixture of consent and coercion

"The power of cultural hegemony lies in its invisibility. Unlike a soldier with a gun or a political system backed up by a written constitution, culture resides within us. It doesn’t seem “political,” it’s just what we like, or what we think is beautiful, or what feels comfortable. Wrapped in stories and images and figures of speech, culture is a politics that doesn’t look like politics and is therefore a lot harder to notice, much less resist. When a culture becomes hegemonic, it becomes “common sense” for the majority of the population." --Stephen Duncombe

Example: the widespread use of English as the language of instruction in America and international business. It has become important to be proficient in the English language if you want to excel. This is reinforced by the fact that majority of the elite educational institutes in the US provide education only in English and relegate non-fluent speakers to other classes. Fluency in this language has become synonymous to being educated and intelligent while those lacking knowledge of the language are thought to be uneducated and unintelligent.

Personal anecdote: as a young Asian American girl growing up in the states, I always felt insecure about my nose because it was flatter than the Anglo nose. I viewed having an Asian nose as ugly.

How do these phenomena relate to hegemony?

• Eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty in Asia
• Hair straightening processes for African hair
• Skin-lightening creams

Group activity: In your groups, explain cultural hegemony in your own words. Then think of a way that either you or a friend has been impacted by cultural hegemony