Final answer:
Ideological hegemony is the set of dominant ideas that justify the prevailing distribution of wealth and power in society by obscuring reality and maintaining social inequalities. This concept helps explain how societal norms can perpetuate systemic injustice while dismissing the need for systemic change.
Step-by-step explanation:
Whenever ideas, even unintentionally, obscure reality in such a way that they justify the prevailing distribution of wealth, power, and privilege, hide society's injustices, and secure uncritical allegiance to the existing social order, we encounter what is known as ideological hegemony. This concept comes from the works of Antonio Gramsci, who identified how dominant groups in society maintain their control by establishing a set of beliefs and values that become the norm. These ideological constructs help to maintain the status quo and deter the potential for revolutionary change by influencing the way individuals perceive their own realities and inequities within the social structure.
For example, in a capitalist society, the notion that individuals who have wealth earned it through hard work and merit justifies the economic inequality that exists. It obscures systemic issues that contribute to wealth disparities and power imbalances, such as the labor exploitation of the working class, by promoting a false consciousness among the proletariat, as Karl Marx would describe. To challenge these dominant ideas and work towards a more egalitarian society, it is crucial to recognize and understand the mechanisms of ideological hegemony and the role it plays in perpetuating social inequalities.