Theory of Constructed Hegemony

The concept, from Gramsci, that a ruling class maintains power not just through force, but by constructing the cultural and ideological "common sense" of an era. Hegemony is built when the dominant group's worldview—its values, beliefs, and social structures—becomes so normalized in media, schools, and everyday life that it's seen as the natural, inevitable order, not as one constructed arrangement among many. Consent is manufactured by making the constructed feel like the given.

*Example: "The idea that working a 9-5 for a corporation is the 'normal' path to a good life is a triumph of constructed hegemony. It wasn't always so. Through 20th-century media, education, and suburbia, this specific life model was built as the default dream. The Theory of Constructed Hegemony shows how questioning it feels like questioning reality itself, because the construction is so complete it hides its own seams."*

Theory of Constructed Hegemony by Abzu Land January 31, 2026