Hegemony

by James Martin

Power rarely works by force it also rules by winning hearts and minds. States, classes, and social groups all seek political dominance by exerting political, ideological, or cultural leadership over others. This idea – hegemony – is a subtle, complex one, which is too often applied crudely.

In this succinct introduction, political theorist James Martin skilfully examines these nuances and shines a new light on hegemony. He introduces its component ideas and critically surveys the most influential thinking about hegemony, from Gramsci’s theory of hegemony as a revolutionary strategy and Marxist theories of the state, politics, and culture to the Post-Marxist project of radical democracy. He then considers the concept’s critical role in analysing international politics and global political economy, and evaluates the criticism that hegemony is too state-centric to truly capture the dynamics of contemporary struggles for emancipation.

This lucid and accessible guide to hegemony will be essential reading for all students of radical politics and social and political theory.

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 27, 2022

About the author

There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
For the Jesuit author, see James Martin

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick treatise of the greatest hit of hegemony from Gramsci to present.