Hegemony refers to the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states. It can be regional or global and is often supported by legitimating norms and ideas. The term derives from the Greek term hēgemonia, which was used to describe relations between city-states. Hegemony can be exerted through social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence. In contemporary times, hegemony is often used to describe the ability of an actor, usually a state, to shape the international system.
Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe defined hegemony as a political relationship of power wherein a subordinate society performs social tasks that are culturally unnatural and not beneficial to them, but that are in exclusive benefit to the imperial interests of the hegemon, the superior, ordinate power. Gramsci’s discussion of hegemony followed from his attempts to understand the survival of the capitalist state in the most-advanced Western countries.
Hegemony can be seen in various contexts, such as the dominance of one group over another, the leading group or nation itself, or the position of being the strongest and most powerful and therefore able to control others.
