Hegemony & Imperialism

India was imperialized. So were the Unites States of America, Australia and many other countries. One may wonder what the difference between imperialism and hegemony is. One may also mistake these two terms to be the same (they are not). Basically, imperialism is the direct power of one country over another whereas hegemony is the indirect power of a country over another. There’s colonialism too when we talk about our geographical landscape and its succinct resume but let’s save that topic for another day.

Before I go any further, let me make everyone understand the difference between these two terms. Imperialism is when you take control and rule another country through colonization or exertion of military influence. What America did to Iraq according to me is a blatant attempt at imperialism (asserting power to rule) in the modern world although they screamed ‘hegemony’ (guidance & leadership). One true example of imperialism is the British Empire’s rule over India. The British governed India for about 200 years and made rules for everybody to follow. We can now contrast it with India’s hegemony over Nepal where India majorly helps the administration of Nepal in making decisions but lets the ultimate power of decision making go to the Government of Nepal. Another example of Hegemony is the Caribbean where the American countries help many islands function as separate independent countries.

I recently read a book which brilliantly brought out the societal norms surrounding the ideologies of imperialism & hegemony. The society, especially the American one, thinks Hegemony is cool and regards it as ‘desirable’ or ‘admirable’. This has not only spurred people to think about America as a very liberal and benevolent empire but also has changed moral terrain of every citizen in the world. I feel that the idea of ruling another state or territory – the idea of imperialism & hegemony has brought the idea of ‘dominance’ in this society. Dominance can be anything – male dominance, dominance of locals in a classroom, dominance of a particular political party in a state, dominance of a certain race in the society and others similar to these ones.

Dominance as an ideology in itself rose from our mythological stories & tales like the Mahabharata & Ramayana and has paved the way for the imperialistically infused thinking of a common man. I’ll even go as far as saying that imperialism has found its way in popular culture (note, not pop culture). Hegemony is a part of imperialism but it can never be the other way round.