Make Your Point > Archived Issues > HEGEMONY

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"HEGEMONY" Meaning: Hegemony is the power, control, and dominance that one group (or idea or thing) has over all the others. Pronunciation: Lots of ways are correct. I suggest "huh JIM uh nee." Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like “milk,” “rice,” and “education,” uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about “some milk,” “the rice,” and “a lot of education,” but you don’t say “a milk,” “three rices,” or “many educations.” Likewise, talk about “the hegemony,” “such hegemony,” “no hegemony,” and so on, but don’t say “hegemonies.”) Other forms: Lots: A person or group with power is a hegemon. The adjectives are "hegemonic," "hegemonical," "hegemonistic" or "hegemonial;" use whichever one you want. The concept is "hegemonism." You can try to hegemonize people, in which case, you're a hegemonizer. How to use it: This is a strong word with a critical, harsh tone. When you talk about a group's hegemony (or an idea's hegemony, or a tradition's hegemony,) you mean they have power and control over others and also that they've established themselves as the "best," the most "important," the most "right" or most "correct," etc. So we often talk seriously and critically about racial hegemony (like white hegemony,) religious hegemony (like Protestant hegemony,) national hegemony (like American hegemony,) cultural hegemony, political hegemony, and so on. You can also phrase ideas like this as "the hegemony of something," as in "the hegemony of huge corporate institutions." Often you'll say that one group (or idea or thing) has or holds hegemony over the others: "In a typical dystopian novel, the government holds hegemony over its people." Likewise, a group might seek hegemony, establish hegemony, impose hegemony, maintain hegemony, lose hegemony, etc. A recent article in The New York Times Magazine accuses Cracker Barrel of romanticizing the bygone hegemony of the racist South. Well, good luck getting the rubric-loving hegemony to fund your research on the limitations and abuses of rubrics. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "hegemony" means when you can explain it without saying "ascendance" or "dominance." Think of a tradition or social expectation that's not as strict or serious as it used to be, and fill in the blanks: "The hegemony of _____ is loosening its hold, and now _____." Example: "The hegemony of taking your husband's last name is loosening its hold, and now it's not considered scandalous if you kept your own name when you became a Mrs." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, we're playing with song lyrics that include words featured in issues of Make Your Point. I’ll give you a few lines from the song, with a blank where our word appears, along with its definition. See if you can come up with it! You can follow the link to see the right answer right away, or just wait until the following day’s issue. Have fun! Yesterday's lyrics: Artist: Melissa Etheridge Title: God is In the People Lyrics:    We keep thinking    Life is what it's not    We keep building    This impossible _____    Why do we keep trying    To turn people into gods    When god is in the people Definition: a false front Answer: facade Try this one today: Artist: Taylor Swift Title: Welcome To New York Lyrics:    Walking through a crowd    The village is aglow    ______ of loud    Heartbeats under coats Definition: something full of moving shapes and colors, or something that changes very quickly again and again. (We looked at the adjective, but use the noun to fill in this blank.) Peek at the answer... A Point Well Made: Algernon Sidney: “Liars ought to have good memories.” 1. The opposite of HEGEMONY is A. HEAVY-HANDEDNESS or BRUTE STRENGTH B. POWERLESSNESS or MARGINALIZATION C. INDECISIVENESS or SILENCE 2. At the time, it was _____ to _____ the pre-Copernican hegemony. A. traditional .. defy B. risky .. challenge C. impossible .. comprehend Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B Exploring the archives: Today's word is a good one for discussing oppression (and oppressors.) So is our word "N_______," that one from the book 1984 by George Orwell. I'd defined it as "language that's fake or vague in a creepy, controlling way." Can you recall it?