Hegemony

How it is used

The dominant state is a 'hegemon', and the adjective is 'hegemonic'. 'Hegemonic stability theory' argues that an open world economy needs a leading power. In critical theory, influenced by Gramsci, hegemony also means dominance through consent and ideas.

Example sentences

1. Historians often describe the nineteenth century as a period of British naval hegemony.

2. The article asks whether regional hegemony is possible without military power.

3. Hegemonic stability theory links open trade to a single leading power.

Common collocations

• regional hegemony
• hegemonic power
• hegemonic stability theory
• challenge hegemony

Related terms

• great powerA state with enough military, economic and political strength to influence events far beyond its own region and to shape the international system.
• balance of powerA situation in which power is spread among states so that no single state or group can dominate the others; also the idea that states act to create such a balance.
• realismA major theory of international relations holding that states are the main actors, that they pursue power and security in an anarchic system, and that conflict is always possible.
• soft powerA country's ability to influence others through attraction, such as its culture, values, education and policies, rather than through force or payment.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• hegemony · Sociology

More terms: Theories of International Relations

• international relations
• liberalism
• constructivism
• anarchy
• security dilemma
• interdependence
• non-state actor