Ideological aspects of hegemonic projects: Latin American civil society and cultural values in comparative perspective

Abstract

A hegemonic project can be seen as the implementation of a particular social vision that links cultural beliefs and practices with the real experiences of mass society in the economic, social and political spheres.1 The attainment of hegemony suggests the ability to manufacture and reproduce consent to a given set of social relations over time. Masses, as well as elite groups, must actively consent to inequalities within society if a political system is to reproduce itself. Ideology. which is embedded in culture, acts as a glue in this process and is an essential component of any hegemonic project. This is not to say that a dominant ideology needs to remain completely unquestioned and become internalised by each individual member of the target population for it to become hegemonic. Rather. dominant ideologies set the terms and define the scope of social debates. It is also important to emphasise that dominant ideologies do not become hegemonic unless they have a close and dialectical relationship with material conditions. Hegemony is not identical to thought control. It must be based on real economic and political sacrifices being made on the part of dominant groups in exchange for the consent of mass society.2 Thus, ideology and cultural manipulation are central components of successful political projects, but must bear some relation to the real experiences of mass society. Hegemony implies more than political power based on repression softened or masked by propaganda. Rather, hegemonic projects are those that are able to integrate economic and political change with existing local cultures and mass ideologies.