Counter Hegemony and Reimaging Everyday Life

Abstract

Following the crisis of Soviet legitimacy after the Prague Spring in 1968, many Western Marxists shifted their focus from economic determinism to culture and ideology. Antonio Gramsci’s ideas redefined power as hegemony, which is the ability of dominant groups to secure consent by shaping ‘common sense’ through institutions like education and media. This view contrasts with classical Marxism’s notion of false consciousness, as it emphasises how consent is actively organised and can include diverse beliefs that stabilise capitalist relations. Stuart Hall expanded on this by arguing that political struggle must move beyond the economic base to the cultural arena, where meanings and identities are created. This reframes resistance as counter-hegemony, offering alternative values to challenge dominant norms. New social movements, such as Occupy Wall Street (OWS), embody this shift by addressing inequality through symbolic actions and collective identity, combining public demonstrations with viral media campaigns. Additionally, some theorists highlight refusal, as seen in Herbert Marcuse’s concept of the ‘Great Refusal’, exemplified by Bartleby from ‘Bartleby, the Scrivener’. These perspectives emphasise the cultural production of consent and the importance of practices like media critique and grassroots organising in contesting dominant ideologies.