Hegemony and Modern Culture
Hegemony and modern culture
(TV documentary script)
[Shots of banks, shops, people walking down shopping streets Grafton Street, the Mall in Tralee, Oliver Plunket Street in Cork as voice over speaks]
“Not since the time of Antonio Gramsci has the notion of hegemony been so relevant in Ireland today. But what is hegemony?
[Image of Gramsci]
Hegemony is the phrase adopted by Antonio Gramsci from Marx to explain how social structures evolve.
[Scenes of Regina Cali prison]
Antonio Gramsci was born in Italy in 1891. After university, in deference to the fascist Mussolini ruling government he became involved in left wing activity. As a result of this he was arrested in 1928. While in the Regina Cali prison he studied the whole idea of hegemony. He wanted to find out why the weaker forces do not fight back, why do they bow down to their oppressors. He adapted the meaning of hegemony. He realized that it is not just concerned with how the ruling classes operate (as Marx had proposed). Gramsci felt that “what was missing was an understanding of the subtle but pervasive forms of ideological control and manipulation that seemed to perpetrate all repressive structures”1. He also found that the weaker group had their part in it by accepting the ruling class’s authority. This is the kernel that we are concerned with. This is the theory that we are going to apply to modern culture in Ireland today. Not just why modern culture is imposed but what are the subtle manipulations of this culture and also what is our part in acquiescing to them.
[Cut to images of Irish legends Cuchulainn, Fionn mac Cumhaill, Deirdre of the sorrows]
We used to have a culture rich in language, dance, storytelling, education, generosity and a love of the simpler things in life. It had evolved from years of myths and legends passed down from generation to generation. We lived by a code of traditions and values. Later we became colonised by England we were robbed of our language and
(TV documentary script)
[Shots of banks, shops, people walking down shopping streets Grafton Street, the Mall in Tralee, Oliver Plunket Street in Cork as voice over speaks]
“Not since the time of Antonio Gramsci has the notion of hegemony been so relevant in Ireland today. But what is hegemony?
[Image of Gramsci]
Hegemony is the phrase adopted by Antonio Gramsci from Marx to explain how social structures evolve.
[Scenes of Regina Cali prison]
Antonio Gramsci was born in Italy in 1891. After university, in deference to the fascist Mussolini ruling government he became involved in left wing activity. As a result of this he was arrested in 1928. While in the Regina Cali prison he studied the whole idea of hegemony. He wanted to find out why the weaker forces do not fight back, why do they bow down to their oppressors. He adapted the meaning of hegemony. He realized that it is not just concerned with how the ruling classes operate (as Marx had proposed). Gramsci felt that “what was missing was an understanding of the subtle but pervasive forms of ideological control and manipulation that seemed to perpetrate all repressive structures”1. He also found that the weaker group had their part in it by accepting the ruling class’s authority. This is the kernel that we are concerned with. This is the theory that we are going to apply to modern culture in Ireland today. Not just why modern culture is imposed but what are the subtle manipulations of this culture and also what is our part in acquiescing to them.
[Cut to images of Irish legends Cuchulainn, Fionn mac Cumhaill, Deirdre of the sorrows]
We used to have a culture rich in language, dance, storytelling, education, generosity and a love of the simpler things in life. It had evolved from years of myths and legends passed down from generation to generation. We lived by a code of traditions and values. Later we became colonised by England we were robbed of our language and