According to Gramsci, both the dominant groups and subordinated classes are persistently struggling for dominance with regards to the definitions of reality or ideologies. Gramsci based his ideas of hegemony on the Marxist… The idea of cultural hegemony was promoted by the writings of the Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, but he did not originate the concept. A ruling class social structure has existed throughout human history in many regions. The first, adopting the method of coercion, using intimidation or force such as the police and armed forces to evoke fear in people to bring them to consensus with capitalism. Gramsci’s ideas of the alleged cultural hegemony helped spur the writings and ideas of the political left and higher education. The concept of hegemony can be exercised in two distinctive ways. Gramsci’s analysis of hegemony thus involves an analysis of the ways in which such capitalist ideas are disseminated and accepted as commonsensical and normal. Cultural Hegemony in the Age of Trump: Adorno, Horkheimer, and Gramsci As any student of history can attest, there are times when the voices of the past prove eerily relevant to the present. Gramsci identifies that the “cultural hegemony” of Western cultures prevented communism from having any chance of taking root, so he recommended a strategy that seeks to tear apart and capture major cultural institutions, including religion, family, education, media, and law. Gramsci's ideas permeated the progressive left, which steadily grew from the 1970s to the present. Gramsci’s ideas permeated the progressive left, which steadily grew from the 1970s to the present. The Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci developed the key concept of cultural hegemony during his imprisonment by the Italian state under Mussolini’s fascist rule. In relation to American society, Gramsci’s influence can be seen in the escalating demeaning of American history. In his Prison Notebooks[1] (w. 1929-1935), he posited how dominant class ideology took shape and exerted its influence through the manufacture of consent. Antonio Gramsci is popularly known for his theory of cultural hegemony, which describes various cultural and ideological strategies used by the capitalist state and the ruling class (the bourgeoisie) to maintain the status quo in capitalist society. In relation to American society, Gramsci's influence can be seen in the escalating demeaning of American history. Mao understood this clearly and used it to devastating effect. Literature Compass 12/8 (2015): 404–413, 10.1111/lic3.12241 Gramsci and Cultural Hegemony in Post-Mao China1 Heidi Yu Huang* University of Lyon Abstract This article gives an overview of the reception and re-conception of Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony in China. Gramsci’s concept of hegemony is achieving consensus of the masses through consent as opposed to coercion. Antonio Gramsci and his concept of hegemony have permeated social and political theory, cultural studies, education studies, literary criticism, international relations, and post-colonial theory. Hegemony involves not only political ideas, but, most important of all, cultural ideas and norms. Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937) created the theory of cultural hegemony in his effort to understand why the masses failed to overthrow capitalism according to the ideas presented in Carl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. A hegemonic class is one that is able to attain the consent of other social forces, and the retention of this consent is an ongoing project. Gramsci's ideas of the alleged cultural hegemony helped spur the writings and ideas of the political left and higher education.