Article Analysis: “The Concept of Cultural Hegemony: Problems and Possibilities”

           Lears references the work of Antonio Gramsci to offer his argument that people are influenced and shaped by cultural hegemony, which can also stem from the type of economy and power structure the society utilizes. Aided by Gramsci’s ideas, Lear concludes the piece saying that “culture is…absorbed and shaped by each individual” (593).

            To support his argument, Lear uses support from Gramsci. For example, Lear references Gramsci’s idea of cultural hegemony to address “the relation between culture and power under capitalism” (568). Lear goes on to say that cultural hegemony can be used to facilitate ideas on the power of dominant groups and the compliance by the subordinate groups (568). Hegemony and domination must be paired together to understand how each concept works, and because “consent and force nearly always coexist” (568). Key terms from the article are hegemony, cultural hegemony, consent, ideology, historical bloc.

            Methods employed by Lears include literary criticism and looking at the history, culture, economy, and studies the work of Gramsci. Sources Lears uses are scholarly and in the footnotes, he is able to provide readers with evaluation and examples of ideas that are stated in the paper.

            I think the article analysis was very well written and analytical of the culture. I am interested in how people are influenced by culture, and mixing hegemonic practices makes the topic very interesting. One question I would pose for discussion is how is American culture influenced by cultural hegemonic practices?