Cultural Hegemony in the United States

Popular usage equates hegemony with dominancea meaning far from Antonio Gramscis original concept where hegemony appears as a contested culture that meets the minimum needs of the majority while serving the interests of the dominant class.This text is the first to present cultural hegemony in its original formas a process of consent resistance and coercion. Hegemony is illustrated with examples from American history and contemporary culture including practices that represent race gender and class in everyday life.U.S. cultural hegemony depends in part on how well media government and other dominant institutions popularize beliefs and organize practices that promote individualism and consumerism. Corporate dominance and market values reign only through the consent of the majority which for the time being - finds material political and cultural benefit from existing social relations. As deep social contradictions undermine brittle hegemonic relations the subordinate majority - including blacks women and workers will seek a new cultural hegemony that overcomes race gender and class inequality.