Which theorist is associated with the concept of hegemony, describing a ruling class that shapes dominant ideologies?

• A. Foucault
• B. Hall
• C. Lacan
• D. Gramsci

Answer: (D)

Antonio Gramsci developed the idea of hegemony to explain how a ruling class maintains control not just through force but by shaping the beliefs, values, and worldviews of society. Through cultural institutions—like the media, education, religion, and other civil-society forms—the dominant group cultivates consent, making its ideology seem natural or common sense. This ideological leadership keeps the status quo in place because people internalize it, often without realizing they’ve accepted it. Foucault centers on power/knowledge and how discourses regulate behavior, Hall analyzes how media encodes and negotiates meaning, and Lacan works from psychoanalytic theory, so none of them define hegemony in the way Gramsci does.