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Hegemon

(pronounced hej-uh-mon)  noun

and

Hegemony

(pronounced hih-jem-uh-nee or hej-uh-moh-nee)  noun

Definition

Hegemon = a nation, person, or other entity possessing or exercising hegemony.

Hegemony = 1. predominant influence of one nation or region over others.  2. leadership or dominance exercised by one state, person, group, or organization over another (in a context that could be political, social, cultural, ideological, etc.).

Other Forms

Hegemonic  (pronounced hej-uh-mon-ik)  adjective

Main Example

• Being the world’s only superpower, the United States is viewed by many nations as a global hegemon. On the other hand, Russia and China are regarded as the regional hegemons in Eastern Europe and Asia respectively. And then there are those who have hegemonic aspirations--nations such as Venezuela and Iran.

Workplace Examples

• Should we really spend our precious resources trying to win new customers in the Miami area? Those two local companies are extremely well-entrenched there. It would cost us an arm and a leg to challenge their hegemony.
• Some of the folks in marketing are quite frustrated because the manager, Craig, is authoritarian. There is a virtual hegemony of his ideas--his views enjoy total dominance, and others’ ideas are pretty much snuffed out.

Other Examples

• a longtime industry leader fast losing its hegemony in the marketplace because of sharply declining sales
• studies carried out at hegemonic institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia receiving far greater media attention than findings from lesser known universities; the U.S. seeking to convince the people of Afghanistan that it does not have hegemonic designs or objectives in that nation
• since the elections of November 2008, Democrats enjoying a hegemony in Washington, thanks to their control of the White House and both chambers of Congress
• in a sensational court decision in 2000, a federal judge ruling that Microsoft’s marketing practices were predatory, designed to maintain its status as a global software hegemon
• one of the factors fueling anti-U.S. sentiments in some parts of the world: our cultural hegemony around the globe

© 2010 V.J. Singal
No part of this may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author.