Antonio Gramsci, an Italian Marxist theorist, introduced the concept of hegemony as a crucial component of his political theory. Born in 1891, Gramsci lived during a tumultuous period in Italy marked by social and political upheavals. His ideas, developed in the early to mid-20th century, have had a profound impact on political thought, particularly in understanding power dynamics and social structures. The notion of hegemony, as conceptualized by Gramsci, goes beyond traditional Marxist perspectives and offers a nuanced understanding of how dominant ideologies maintain control in society.

Hegemony, in Gramsci's framework, refers to the ways in which the ruling class, or the bourgeoisie, establishes and maintains its dominance over society through both coercion and consent. Unlike classical Marxist theories that primarily emphasized economic factors as the sole determinant of power relations, Gramsci broadened the scope to include cultural, intellectual, and ideological dimensions. For Gramsci, the ruling class not only relies on force and economic control but also on the manipulation of ideas and values that shape