Hegemonic leadership is exercised by a historic bloc, not a whole class

Evidence

Third, what “leads” in a period of hegemony is no longer described as a “ruling class” in the traditional language, but as a historic bloc. This has its critical reference to “class” as a determining level of analysis, but it does not translate whole classes directly onto the political-ideological stage as unified historical actors. The “leading elements” in a historic bloc may be only one fraction of the dominant economic class—for example, finance rather than industrial capital, national rather than international capital. Associated with it, within the “bloc,” will be strata of the subaltern and dominated classes, who have been won over by specific concessions and compromises and who form part of the social constellation but in a subordinate role. The “winning over” of these sections is the result of the forging of “expansive, universalizing alliances” which cement the historic bloc under a particular leadership. Each hegemonic formation will thus have its own, specific social composition and configuration. This is a very different way of conceptualizing what is often referred to, loosely and inaccurately, as the “ruling class.” — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 106

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the ‘historic bloc’ concept that replaces ‘ruling class’ in hegemonic analysis.
• XREF: Explains how subordinate/dominated classes are co-opted into hegemony — a mechanism central to understanding how Islamophobia can recruit across class and ethnic lines. — connects to: Stable leadership is needed to keep hegemony in progressive rather than privileged hands; Hegemony means tendential balance, not absolute class victory; Hegemony sometimes fuses leadership with domination in Gramsci’s usage (+1 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 106

Broader Connections

• Hegemony is achieved by more than mere class dominance #expands (0.85)
• Stable leadership is needed to keep hegemony in progressive rather than privileged hands #expands (0.82)
• Hegemony means tendential balance, not absolute class victory #expands (0.80)
• Hegemony sometimes fuses leadership with domination in Gramsci’s usage #qualifies (0.78)