A Simple Hegemony Film Definition

Have you ever noticed how certain films use dominant gender stereotypes or expectations? What about films that are heavily focused on the stereotypical women are housewives and men are breadwinners? How about the cultural ideals that are delivered in films? We call this hegemony in film. In this simple hegemony film definition we’re discussing the ways that media and filmmaking hegemony impacts society promulgating particular ideas, theories, and cultural norms onto society as a whole.

What is Hegemony?

A simple hegemony film definition depicts the unique dominance of one group over another. In film, we see dominant groups that legitimatize norms and ideas such as stereotypical gender norms or dominant gender stereotypes but it’s not just gender, we see this with cultural norms, religious norms, and a variety of other instances.

Hegemony represents the dominance of a particular group over another. Typically, the term hegemony is used to describe a dominant set of ideas and their likeliness to become the only reflected ideas in some cases despite there being other alternative ideas. 

What is Media Hegemony?

Media hegemony, something that is common in filmmaking and in the news, is a process in which particular prevailing values and norms dictate or otherwise influence the way in which reporters in the media deliver news. Media hegemony occurs through the dominance of particular aspects of life and thought processes resulting from dominant cultural values and social norms. 

For example, when media hegemony occurs the media news will deliver stories that convey the nature of society through dominant institution and social process. It is actually considered an extension of capitalistic economic order. Thus, when news is delivered through the media, it is important to decode the stories in order to understand that what you’re seeing is not necessarily the “whole” picture, it’s a capitalistic ideology that is aimed at producing economic order.

As  result, media hegemony causes reporters to influence dominant ideology. We see this in the basic values and norms played by socialists. Journalists claim that they are not prone to marketing and other forces, but they deliver undeniable levels of information that permeate assumptions of economic interest. Further, reports choose to report on issues that favor the dominant ideology and status quo. This hinders social change.

Hegemony in Film

In Films, we see hegemony play out rather frequently, too. Particular, in Disney movies you’ll notice the dominant gender stereotypes and various other elements which are prejudiced or particular to a certain societal norm that is dominant and often omits or fails to represent the other side. While it may not be intention of the filmmaker, the representation of these stereotypes and societal norms of the dominant culture are cause for a lack of societal change or, in films that directly seek to go against the hegemony, they can actually be a reason for change.

So what is hegemony in film, by definition, hegemony is the process of focusing on certain values and perceived elements of society which are dominant for a particular gain while leaving out the alternative, less dominant side. And it happens all the time!