Which theoretical perspective uses the concept of hegemony?

• A. Functionalism
• B. Conflict Theory
• C. Critical Theory
• D. Figurational Theory

Answer: (C)

The idea tested here is how power can be maintained through cultural leadership and shared beliefs, not just through force or economics. This is the notion of hegemony, which explains how the ruling groups’ worldview becomes accepted as common sense and legitimizes the social order. Critical Theory centers on power, ideology, and emancipation, and it draws on Gramsci’s concept of cultural hegemony to show how domination persists through cultural institutions, media, education, and sport governance. In sport, this helps explain why certain groups set the norms, norms get normalized across society, and elite interests are reproduced through sponsorship, representations, and governance structures.

Functionalism emphasizes social order and consensus, not the manipulation of ideas to maintain dominance, so it’s less about hegemony. Conflict Theory focuses on exploitation and class struggle but doesn’t foreground the cultural consent mechanism that hegemony describes. Figurational Theory looks at long-term social processes and interdependencies rather than the explicit idea of ideological dominance.