301272 Hegemony: A theoretical classic, yet always controversial (S) (WiSe 2025/2026)

The hegemon, the hegemonic global power, struggles for hegemony, and hegemony as a constant process; these are only some associations made with the concept of hegemony. For some, it is best described as the political art of presenting particular interests as general interests. For others, hegemony is a special form of domination that includes the subordinate subjects as reproducing actors of power asymmetry. Antonio Gramsci’s rich corpus introduced hegemony to multiple strands of political theory. In Latin America, Juan Carlos Mariátegui worked independently from the Italian philosopher on a similar concept to understand the role of imperialism. Since then, many disciplines and diverse authors incorporated hegemony in their theoretical propositions. Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe connected hegemony to discourse analysis, and Stuart Hall focused on cultural hegemony. Anthropologists like David Nugent introduced hegemony to unpack multiple everyday practices of state formation in Mexico. Masculinities studies and postcolonial studies also draw on hegemony theory.
This interdisciplinary seminar explores the reach and theoretical robustness of different hegemony applications. On the one hand, we look for compatibilities and dissonances with related meanings like power or domination. On the other hand, we engage in the theoretical relation of hegemony and coercion. Additionally, we illustrate the history of ideas of hegemony along with the current reception of hegemony in the Americas, especially Latin America.

This seminar will be taught in English. For Spanish or German original literature, English translations will be provided.

Bibliography

Background readings:
Anderson, P. (2017). The H-Word: The Peripeteia of Hegemony. Verso.
Laclau, E. y Mouffe, C. (2014 [1985]). Hegemony and socialist strategy: Towards a radical democratic politics. Verso.
Joseph, G. M. y Nugent, D. (Eds.). (1994). Everyday forms of state formation: Revolution and the negotiation of rule in modern Mexico. Duke University Press.
Ouviña, H. (Ed.). (2023). Antonio Gramsci: aproximaciones y (re)lecturas desde América Latina. Muchos mundos ediciones.