Hegemony must be perpetually won and can be lost.

Evidence

It is crucial to the concept that hegemony is not a “given” and permanent state of affairs, but has to be actively won and secured : it can also be lost. Gramsci was preoccupied with Italian society, in which, for long periods, various alliances of the ruling classes had ruled through “force” without taking over an authoritative and legitimate leadership in the state. There is no permanent hegemony: it can only be established, and analyzed, in concrete historical conjunctures. — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 905

Categorization

• DEFINE: Emphasizes hegemony as process, conjuncturally located, never secure—central to Hall’s whole method.