Cultural Hegemony

Cultural hegemony is the dominance or rule of the ruling class over others through ideological or cultural means. This involves using social institutes, such as a school, a church, a court or the media, to strongly influence the dominant values, norms, ideas, expectations, worldviews, and behaviours of a society. This is achieved by persuading society that the worldview of the ruling class and the structures that keep them in place is just, legitimate, and beneficial for everyone even if they only help those in power. In sum, this is control of society by instilling ideas and values through social institutions rather than control through more aggressive means, such as force.