Towards a sustainable society. How a sustainable counter-hegemony can change the current hegemony

Towards a sustainable society

Dirk Stael

Dirk Stael 1

2

Towards a sustainable society How a sustainable counter-hegemony can change the current hegemony

Dirk Stael

3

First released on Academia.edu in November 2021 Revised versions: December 2021 / January 2022 NUR 740

4

Contents Preface

6

1. What is hegemony

9

2. How societal change comes about

20

3. There’s no hegemony without counter-hegemony

30

4. How to realize a sustainable counter-hegemony

39

5. From sustainable counter-hegemony towards sustainable hegemony

50

6. On leadership and power

55

5

Preface There is something at work in our society that we seldom see or hear, yet, at the same time, we both undergo and shape it every day again.

That’s hegemony.

Hegemony colors how we think and what we do, how we live and how we work.

The people around us think and do things in a certain way and so we think and do the same. Because we believe that’s how things ought to be.

Although this seems fairly straightforward, an unequivocal description of hegemony is not so easy. The word has a long history and depending on the domain in which it is used, the interpretation differs.

In international relations, hegemony relates to the dominance of certain states. In sports, we speak of the hegemony of a team or of individual athletes within a discipline. In political philosophy and sociology, “cultural hegemony” refers to “the dominance of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class who manipulate the culture of that society - the beliefs and explanations, perceptions, values, and mores - so that the worldview of the ruling class becomes the accepted cultural norm.”1 This view of hegemony was developed by the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci.

What do all these approaches have in common? Time and again, the "hegemon" (a leader or leading group) is in a dominant position and exercises power over others. There’s always a form of coercion at play.

But much of what we think and do as citizens on a daily basis, we think and do because that is the way it should be done, without anything or anyone forcing us. Without anything being imposed on us. Within a theory of hegemony this is called consent (assent, acceptance) and common sense.

In this booklet, hegemony (how we think and what we do) is disconnected from the typical power relations we attach to certain

6

individuals (e.g. political leaders or managers) or institutions (e.g. political parties or governments).

Here the focus is on how hegemony affects our daily lives as citizens.

It is "hegemony without hegemon."

Although hegemony is also always coercive, in reality it is often very difficult to pinpoint a hegemon. Hegemony in society is shaped by all of us. It is not imposed on all of us from on high. We reproduce it ourselves all the time.

This also means that we, citizens, hold the keys to changing hegemony.

In “Towards a sustainable society”, we take a closer look at this form of hegemony and at the same time we consider how counterhegemony can help us move towards a sustainable society. A necessity if we want to keep our planet livable.

Those who wish to create and realize sustainable, counter-hegemonic ideas themselves can do so with the mini-manual “How we can save our world”, which contains a diagram, examples and tips to create and realize sustainable counter-hegemonic ideas and initiatives.

We will have to determine together which roads we take towards a sustainable hegemony. The most important thing is that we do so with as many as possible, as soon as possible. Only together can we get there.

Have an inspiring journey.

Dirk Stael December 2021

7

Hegemony = How we think and what we do, from individual over social organization to institution.

8

1. What is hegemony 1. Hegemony = how we think and what we do, from individual over social organization to institution.

2. Hegemony is everywhere and touches everything How we think and what we do seeps into everything.

Hegemony goes beyond culture and permeates almost every social domain.

3. Hegemonic thinking and acting is for the most part accidental.

Hegemony is driven by both "recognition" and "acquiescence”. People recognize and understand the societal values and norms and adjust their thinking and actions accordingly. Mostly unconsciously. We resign ourselves to how things are.

Recognition and acquiescence are passive. There is very little conscious decision-making in choosing a particular society or hegemony. For most of us it is a coincidence that we live and work within a certain hegemonic reality. We are born and grow up in a society and consider it normal but rarely is that choice consciously made.

4. Thinking and acting hegemonically happens unconsciously most of the time.

We experience hegemony as “this is how it is” rather than “I consciously choose to think or act this or that way”.

Consent (assent, acceptance, acquiescence) is key in hegemony, which is different from consensus. A decision made by consensus is supported by those involved. It’s a joint agreement. A hegemony may

9

be supported but there is usually little or no conscious decisionmaking process involved.

5. Hegemony operates under the radar most of the time.

We are usually quite unaware of the hegemonic reality of which we are a part. Only when a hegemony is challenged does it become more tangible and do we experience it more consciously.

6. Hegemony arises spontaneously.

A classical view of hegemony places coercion, power, and authority at the center. Hegemony in such an approach stands for leadership: it is all about who has power, who decides and who does not.

But hegemony largely comes about naturally. It is an organic process and very rarely is anyone in control.

7. Hegemony brings stability.

Humans - a few exceptions aside - have a natural desire for order, peace, stability, cohesion and conformity.

We have a natural aversion to chaos, violence, uncertainty and (overly drastic) change.

We are also social beings by nature. We want to belong: being part of social groups gives meaning to life. As does being part of a greater whole.

Our urge as a society for stability and peace is one of the strongest dynamics and driving forces that sustains a hegemony.

8. We cannot do without hegemony.

Hegemony generates social cohesion.

10

We need hegemony in our societies.

When a hegemonic vacuum occurs for whatever reason, then it is filled in no time by new hegemonic dynamics.

9. Hegemony is self-reinforcing.

How we think and what we do is confirmed over and over again by ourselves and the people around us.

Images and messages of all kinds reproduce the same hegemonic ideas time and again.

In social contexts and situations, we repeat the same habitual actions.

Wherever you look, all around, you see, above all, the continuous reaffirmation of current thinking and acting.

10. Hegemony is self-sustaining.

Once a hegemony is established - once it has reached a certain critical mass - social dynamics cause more and more people to think and act as expected within a society.

Hegemonies are their own perpetuum mobile.

11. Hegemony is a self-renewing continuum.

Hegemony is never-ending. It continues to reproduce itself.

At the same time, each hegemonic reproduction may carry within it a germ of change. That’s how societies continue to evolve.

12. Just about everything is at least hegemonically influenced.

So what is part of hegemony? Just about everything: education, ideology, the dominant ideas in society, norms and values, beliefs, behaviors, culture and cultural expressions, clothing and fashion, what 11

we eat, how we look, the language we use, the words we do or do not use, political correctness, being woke, social media, memes, the video games we play, the television programs we watch, opinions in the media, what we do / do not conform to, what we consider (ab-)normal, how we react to events, our routines, the relations between men and women, our sexuality, how we live, work, shop...

13. Hegemony operates at three levels: individuals, social organizations and institutions.

Hegemony can be represented as a pyramid consisting of 3 layers: 1. At the bottom are individuals.

2. In the middle of the pyramid we find social organizations.

3. At the top are the institutions.

In other words, we have a lot of individuals, quite a lot of social organizations, and a limited number of institutions.

14. Within society, all players play the game and thus help shape it.

Within society, all citizens, social organizations and institutions play along according to the mostly unspoken and often unwritten rules of the game.

12

15. Within hegemony the golden rule is: to conform = to confirm.

16. We regularly interpret hegemony differently.

As individuals, we are one way with our friends and another with our colleagues. We do things differently within different social organizations. We do things this way at work and that way at the sports club.

At the same time there is always some leeway: depending on the social situation and context, we think and act partially differently.

There is no invisible hand that leads us always and everywhere.

We are not sheep even though we often behave sheepishly.

We are not exact copycats even though we mimic many things.

Even though hegemonic thinking and acting follows a more or less rigid straitjacket, there is always some room for interpretation and variation.

Individuals and groups can still go against a hegemony. And regularly we do. We cannot help ourselves.

17. Hegemony is never absolute.

Hegemony is never absolutely determined nor all-encompassing. It’s never pristine or pure. Absolute consistency within a hegemony is simply not possible. It is always somewhat messy and often schizophrenic.

Different positions and viewpoints collide and influence each other all the time.

Hegemonies remain volatile and are never static.

The way we think and act is constantly in flux and it shifts slightly all of the time.

13

18. Hegemonies evolve and change continuously.

No hegemony is everlasting or unchanging. The current hegemony will eventually give way to a new hegemony.

19. Hegemony rests on a fragile balance.

We are all part of a whole range of social groups and social constructs within society. Most of us try to balance all of these. Still, within that frail equilibrium, there must also be sufficient distinction. After all, we are who we are as individuals and social groups by distinguishing ourselves from other individuals and other groups. Within hegemony, we need opposing positions. For most of the time, these different positions hold each other more or less in balance.

20. Hegemony needs antagonism.

Hegemony is a continuous game of attraction and repulsion. Of conformity and distinction. We need diversity and plurality. When there’s insufficient diversity and plurality, hegemony becomes unbalanced.

21. Different sub-hegemonies cohabit within a hegemony.

Within a hegemony, there are a whole series of sub-hegemonies: variations on how we think and what we do that occur only in certain contexts or among certain groups.

Consider, for example…

• • •

Regional or geographical contexts (local customs specific to a region or municipality) Organizational contexts (the customs within companies or other social organizations) Familial contexts (what is customary in one's own family can seem strange to other families)

14

• •

Class contexts (many social customs differ from one social class to another) Cultural contexts (different cultural groups - including communities of faith - hold different ideas and customs).

22. Sub-hegemonies can be more or less part of a hegemony.

Most of the time, these sub-hegemonies are not extremely different from the general hegemony.

When the differences do become more pronounced, ghettoization can occur. Such ghettos can either be in people's minds or take on physical forms.

Within the walls of one's own ghetto, a sub-hegemony can be reinforced further and differences can be magnified.

23. The contours of a hegemony are porous and constantly under pressure.

Hegemonic thinking and acting takes place within certain chalk lines but these hegemonic boundaries are often difficult to frame or delineate exactly. Sub-hegemonies and various forms of counterhegemonic thinking and acting rub against the hegemonic edges causing these to stretch. Here and there, they can even be partially redrawn. When this redrawing of the outlines remains within certain confines, this tends to pass without significant issues.

Hegemony is therefore always a bit vague and fuzzy.

But those who color too drastically outside the lines, run the risk of placing themselves (partially) outside the hegemony.

24. Hegemony is complex.

Hegemony touches on everything and is thus intertwined with many different domains. Additionally, much hegemonic thinking and acting

15

is also interpreted differently by different individuals, social groups and institutions. This makes hegemony extremely complex.

25. Hegemony can probably never be fully understood.

Fortunately, we do not need absolute or perfect knowledge to function within a hegemony. A partial understanding of appropriate thinking and acting within a hegemony is sufficient.

16

CHAPTER 1 | What is hegemony Hegemony is "what we think and how we act from individual over social organization to institution." Hegemony therefore touches on just about everything: it is omnipresent.

Within hegemony, all players (individuals, social organizations and institutions) play the game spontaneously.

Most of the time we are unaware of hegemony.

Despite a whole series of self-reinforcing dynamics, every renewal of hegemony carries within it a potential seed for change. That’s how hegemonies continue to evolve.

That makes it also difficult to delineate the boundaries of hegemony.

17

Hegemonic concentric circles You can imagine hegemony as a series of concentric circles.

In the center we find individuals, social organizations and institutions that are more in agreement with the prevailing hegemony. There is more conformity.

At the edge - at the outer circles - we find individuals and social organizations that are less in agreement with the current hegemony. There is less conformity.

Individuals and social organizations can also find themselves completely outside a hegemony but that in itself is rather exceptional. Just about all people and social groups within a society conform to the prevailing hegemony to a fair degree.

When hegemony is in balance, the circles are evenly distributed and the whole looks harmonious. But this is by no means always the case.

Gradually, new ways of thinking and acting, which were initially at the edge, may gradually become more central. Thus the center of the circles begins to shift.

When the center of a hegemony begins to shift, hegemony changes.

What and who was initially at the center of hegemony may thus, over time, find itself at its edge.

When a hegemony is out of balance, it will move back to a new balance over time. When such a new equilibrium is reached, the center of a previous hegemony may henceforth be at the edge of the new hegemony. Those who were previously at the edge of the hegemony may suddenly find themselves at the center in a new hegemonic equilibrium.

That’s how hegemonies continue to evolve. And the people who find themselves within a hegemony move and evolve with it.

18

Hegemony thus continuously evolves from a status in equilibrium to a status out of equilibrium. A hegemony in balance is alternated with a hegemony out of balance from which a new hegemony in balance then emerges.

The periods in balance normally last longer than the periods out of balance. We as humans thrive less well in hegemonies out of balance. Therefore, a new equilibrium will impose itself almost automatically after some time.

The changes that take place during a hegemony out of balance are usually fairly limited. Only in very extreme circumstances can the change be more abrupt and disruptive. Such changes are usually very traumatic for the people involved.

19

2. How societal change comes about 1. Change is hard.

Much of what we do is copying what others around us do. It is perhaps the single most important and defining social dynamic within any society: we want to belong, so we adopt the ideas and actions of the group.

This is what makes change so difficult. Someone has to start thinking and acting differently and then others have to be convinced to go against the flow as well. That takes courage.

2. Change begins with how we think.

The seed for change usually originates in thinking, starting with someone pondering about how something can be done better.

3. Successful change requires us to act.

Having an idea for change is good. Acting on it is better. Only when an idea is turned into action is change made concrete.

4. Change requires thinking and doing.

For some, change begins by thinking of changing something.

For others, change will begin by doing something to which their thinking adapts to afterwards.

5. Change is achieved together.

Change needs a critical mass to be effective. Once that is reached, the chances of more people and organizations following suit, will increase as well.

20

6. Hegemonic change quietly sneaks into our lives.

Hegemonic changes are usually small, minuscule almost, and arise more often at the periphery than at the center. Only when such small changes are picked up and accepted more broadly do they gradually advance towards the center.

We often have little or no awareness that anything has changed and notice it only after the fact, when it has already taken hold.

When more and more people begin to think and act differently, the way things were done before can gradually shift into the background. Due to the steady pace, we do not experience this as a loss.

Meanwhile, the new way of thinking and doing is gradually being considered normal and obvious.

Henceforth, the individuals or groups who deviate from it are considered to be the odd ones out. They become the stranger, the anomaly. As such, hegemony is at once inclusive and exclusive.

7. Hegemonic change tends to be slow.

Hegemonic change tends to be embedded more strongly when it takes shape slowly and is steadily carried more widely. In a symbiotic movement, the change thus becomes an indivisible whole of a hegemony. Once that circle is complete, it is often difficult to imagine how different things used to be.

From this also follows that you cannot change hegemony as a whole.

You can only work on smaller, partial elements within hegemony.

How far the impact of a hegemonic change reaches, is impossible to predict in advance. Yet, there is a real chance that it will go further than initially thought. Hegemonic change in one domain can indirectly affect other domains, as many things are interconnected.

21

8. Change is inevitable.

Even though hegemonies usually change slowly and with small steps, change is always possible. More so, it is inevitable.

Not that long ago.

Many things that we consider normal in today's hegemony were viewed very differently not that long ago. How we think about racism, sexism, gay rights and so much more is very different today compared to a few decades ago. Even though it may seem that what we have now was inevitable, much of it could have turned out differently.

We tend to look at the world through colored glasses. The dominant paradigm colors large parts of what we see, making it difficult for us to imagine how we could color reality differently. What we take for granted today is often of more recent making than we initially think.

9. Hegemony changes when we, citizens, change.

Even though most hegemonic change sneaks into our lives almost unnoticed, you still need a mass for it to materialize.

That’s why we, citizens, hold the keys to bringing about hegemonic change.

When we, citizens, start thinking and acting differently, hegemony changes.

22

Spreading like wildfire ➔ Change begins with a spark in one individual. ➔ That spark can lit up other individuals as well when they begin to think the same way or come together to realize a goal. This combination of sparks can turn into a bonfire. ➔ When more and more of such bonfires arise, things can start to spread like wildfire. ➔ When fires from different places come together, the chance of a raging fire increases. ➔ Then, as the flames rise upwards, institutions may begin to notice something and hegemonic change may begin to take hold there as well.

10. Hegemonic change moves from individuals over social organizations to institutions.

Change begins with the individual and becomes real when multiple individuals exchange ideas and start new social organizations. As such, change is realized at the micro and meso levels. There we find the main levers for hegemonic change. When change is successfully implemented there, the institutions at the macro level can eventually follow.

That’s because the degree of flexibility in thinking and acting is different for individuals, social organizations and institutions: • • •

Individuals are the most flexible in thinking and acting, Followed by social organizations.

Institutions are the least flexible in thought and action.

Hegemonic change starts with individuals and social organizations.

Institutions are the last link in the chain.

23

We, citizens, are everywhere Ultimately, we, citizens, are everywhere.

We populate all social organizations...

... and we populate all institutions.

24

When we change, the social organizations and institutions in which we’re active, change with us. Each time we bring different ideas to work, it creates a breeding ground for new ways of thinking and acting. Ultimately, the dividing line between who we are privately and publicly is thin and porous.

How we are at home, professionally, and within various social organizations is fluid and overflows the boundaries of different playing fields.

That’s how hegemonic change is prepped at the institutional level.

Through us, hegemonic change gradually permeates our institutions. This is a necessary step because only when the institutions also embrace hegemonic change, will it come full circle.

Hegemonic change at the institutional level is an absolute necessity to bring about a new hegemony.

11. Institutions will probably be last to embrace hegemonic change (and by then it will no longer be a surprise).

Institutions will likely only begin to shift towards hegemonic change when it is already widely adopted within society (among individuals and social organizations), by which time, it can no longer be ignored.

12. Hegemonic change becomes institutionalized when it flows back towards social organizations and individuals.

Hegemonic change initially moves from the bottom to the top - from individuals via social organizations to institutions.

Once arrived there, hegemonic change can become institutionalized.

When institutions subscribe to the new way of thinking and acting, hegemonic change can flow from the top back to the bottom.

Individuals and social organizations that had not yet embraced hegemonic change can now be hoisted aboard.

25

Of course, not everyone will go along. But many will. That’s how hegemonic change is institutionalized. The hegemonic change which was at first the anomaly has now become the new normal.

26

CHAPTER 2 | How societal change comes about Change is difficult but at the same time never completely impossible.

Hegemonic change begins with individuals who think differently and it becomes concrete through social organizations that act differently.

This type of change usually proceeds slowly and it does not materialize everywhere equally or as thoroughly. Of all the actors within a hegemony - individuals, social organizations and institutions - the latter are the last to embrace hegemonic change.

Yet, for hegemonic change to be completed, it needs to become institutionalized. Until then, we, individuals and social organizations, must persevere and regularly revisit some important questions: 1) 2) 3) 4)

In what direction is the hegemonic change proceeding?

Do we agree with this direction?

Is the hegemonic change happening fast enough?

What can we do to hasten things?

27

Crises and change The COVID-19 crisis demonstrated that we are capable of rapid and drastic change. But it equally shows that when a new way of thinking and acting is imposed upon us (when it is not something we have deliberately chosen ourselves), it is difficult to sustain.

Such changes are usually not internalized or internalized only with great difficulty (and lots of reluctance).

Crises, therefore, are poor drivers for the creation of hegemonic change. Even though crises sometimes force us to make drastic changes, they are rarely wholehearted nor long-lasting. Even when crises drag on and a different course of action is enforced and maintained for a longer period of time, anchoring is still very doubtful. None of us like forced change.

Hegemonic change that is extrinsic (imposed from the outside) is more difficult to sustain and must be enforced more often.

Hegemonic change that is intrinsic (something we’ve chosen to do) lasts longer and is sustained longer.

28

A mental split When thinking and acting in different social domains is in conflict for example, privately and professionally - we can find ourselves in a state of cognitive dissonance.

Usually, we do not like such inconsistencies as they can be cause for distress. To deal with that, we make use of different strategies.

We can...

1. Try to ignore the inconsistencies.

2. Try to reason away the inconsistencies.

3. Try to switch social environments, for example by changing jobs or joining other social organizations.

4. Try to change our current social environment by infusing the social organizations we’re a part of with different ways of thinking and acting as much as possible.

When different ways of thinking and acting have already become internalized, ignoring or reasoning away these inconsistencies may become a very tedious exercise. In such cases, changing the social environment may be the better solution.

Getting rid of inconsistencies through changes in the social environment is - especially at the individual level - a strong dynamic for anchoring counter-hegemonic thinking and acting.

29

3. There’s no hegemony without counterhegemony 1. Hegemony is never 100% absolute.

A hegemony is not a massive, impenetrable block of granite.

Hegemony never includes all individuals, all organizations, not even all institutions.

No matter how compelling hegemony may be or feel, at every level there are cracks and holes in the hegemonic armor that can be wrenched open further. From there, counter-hegemonic seeds can germinate.

Fluid hegemony Even though the water surface of the current hegemony may appear calm, there are all kinds of currents underneath moving in different directions. These are fed, among other things, by the rivers and streams that flow in from other hegemonies.

Thus, hegemony is constantly in motion and it is virtually impossible to capture it, fix it or even isolate it.

2. Counter-hegemonies always emerge.

From the moment hegemony gains a foothold, the seeds of counterhegemonic thinking and acting are sown.

These counter-hegemonic dynamics arise automatically as they try to erase and redraw the hegemonic outlines. Sometimes, this is successful. Often it is not.

30

3. Counter-hegemonic thinking and acting stems from hegemonic dissatisfaction.

When individuals encounter problems or challenges to which a current hegemony no longer provides an adequate answer, counterhegemonic thinking and acting can arise.

4. Hegemonic dissatisfaction begins with individuals.

When the answers and solutions provided by the current hegemony no longer suffice, individuals may become frustrated and begin to seek alternatives.

5. Counter-hegemony is always social.

The moment an individual talks to other individuals, counterhegemonic thinking begins to spread.

31

6. Counter-hegemony becomes real in doing.

Counter-hegemony becomes real when individuals decide to take action together. When they organize themselves.

32

7. Counter-hegemony materializes when many new ideas arise among many individuals who, along with many other individuals, organize themselves into a wide range of new social organizations.

One counter-hegemonic idea by a single individual that results in one new social organization is not going to move the goalposts. One new idea is no threat to the current hegemony.

To really gain a foothold, counter-hegemony needs a large volume of individuals and social organizations to increasingly think and act differently.

To achieve that, counter-hegemonic ideas and actions must become as widespread as possible.

33

8. Counter-hegemony must remain expansive for a long time to be successful.

For a counter-hegemony to be successful, efforts must be made to reach out to and involve as many other individuals and organizations as possible. When this is sustained over a longer period of time, counter-hegemonic thinking and acting can break out of its own cocoon and spread more widely.

34

9. It takes a mass of individuals and social organizations to think and act counter-hegemonically, before the chance arises for institutions to switch.

Trying to realize a counter-hegemony (= thinking and acting differently) through an upheaval of the institutions is nonsensical.

Counter-hegemony proceeds from the bottom to the top and cannot simply be imposed from top to bottom. Widespread consent from below is needed to make it happen.

35

10. Institutionalization is crucial to complete a counter-hegemony.

Thinking and acting counter-hegemonically at the level of individuals and social organizations alone is not enough. Only when institutions also change their ways can a counter-hegemony become the new hegemony.

Only after such institutionalization, can counter-hegemony cease to exist and become the new hegemony.

36

CHAPTER 3 | There’s no hegemony without counter-hegemony Counter-hegemony happens when individuals no longer consent to the current hegemony.

Counter-hegemonic thinking and acting starts with individuals and becomes reality through social organizations. Only when we do this en masse and persist long enough, can new ways of thinking and acting eventually penetrate the institutions. Only then, can the possibility of a counter-hegemony becoming hegemony materialize.

37

Balancing on a tightrope.

Counter-hegemonic thinking and acting makes frequent use of the current hegemonic ideas and actions of individuals, social organizations and institutions. As a result, counter-hegemony is always somewhat schizophrenic: • •

Counter-hegemonic thinking opposes current hegemonic thinking but at the same time uses it to reach a broad layer of the population.

Acting counter-hegemonically means doing things differently.

But initially, this is done within a current hegemony: it is working on something new and different within what already is.

To think and act counter-hegemonically is to continually seek a hard-to-find and ever-changing balance.

This schizophrenia causes counter-hegemonic thinking and acting to be interpreted very differently by different people. Hegemonies nor counter-hegemonies are solid, impenetrable blocks of granite.

They are hodgepodges of very diverse ideas and actions of individuals and social organizations that each interpret hegemonic and counter-hegemonic thinking and acting differently.

Counter-hegemonic ideas and actions tend to come about independently of each other. Each new idea turned into action is like a grain of sand that may appear here or there. Over time, a few grains of sand may be blown together. What at first appears to be little more than a few piles of loose sand - far insufficient to serve as a foundation for a new hegemony - can gradually expand and emerge in more and more places. This process is chaotic and ad hoc.

As more grains of sand appear, the differences and similarities between them will also emerge. This can strengthen the cohesion between the loose sand and be the beginning of a more solid foundation.

What first seemed very different, diverse and incoherent can now become more homogeneous. What was ad hoc now becomes more systematic.

38

4. How to realize a sustainable counterhegemony 1. We, citizens, who come up with and realize new sustainable ideas, are the main lever for a sustainable counter-hegemony.

Realizing a sustainable counter-hegemony requires volume: we need a mass of ideas, people, initiatives and new social organizations.

The good news is, we are not starting from scratch. There is already a basis. Parts of our thinking and acting are already sustainable or at least influenced by sustainability. However, it is by far not enough.

We will have to shift gears and come up with and implement many more sustainable ideas.

2. A sustainable counter-hegemony begins with individuals and becomes concrete through new social organizations.

A sustainable counter-hegemony begins with "how we think" and becomes concrete by "what we do."

It begins by contemplating how we can live and work as sustainably as possible and then deciding what we will do: • •

When something is unsustainable, we have to decide whether we will still do it.

When we have several options, some more and others less sustainable, we have to decide which option we will choose.

But the power for change as an individual is limited. Acting sustainably individually is good ("no one is too small to make a difference"2), creating sustainable initiatives together, however, is way better. Our impact multiplies when we work together.

39

3. We realize a sustainable counter-hegemony together.

To realize new, sustainable ideas, we will need others. That’s when new social organizations can emerge.

While a sustainable counter-hegemony begins with individuals, only when we come and work together does change become real.

4. The building blocks for a sustainable counter-hegemony are new ecological, economic and social ideas.

Coming up with new, sustainable ideas can best be done in those domains where we, as citizens, can generate direct impact. The ecologic, the economic and the social domain provide is that opportunity. That is why we mainly need new ecologically, economically and socially sustainable ideas.

• • •

New environmentally sustainable ideas reduce our ecological footprint and burden the ecosystem as little as possible.

New economically sustainable ideas create a fair added value for all concerned.

New socially sustainable ideas try to keep both individual and group interests in balance.

How we can save our world But how do you create and realize new, sustainable ideas? You can find some pointers in “How we can save our world”.

This mini-manual is built around NARDIS, an acronym that enables each of us to build sustainable ideas that are new, action-oriented, realizable, (directly) democratic and impactful.

Creating and realizing a wide range of NARDIS ideas together can help us shape a sustainable counter-hegemony.

40

Piecemeal counter-hegemony.

Still, it is important to understand that you cannot change a complex system as a whole. You need to cut it up into better manageable smaller pieces. That’s why “How we can save our world” focuses on just the ecologic, economic and social domain.

Even though we can present each of these individually, in reality, they cannot be untangled. Presenting them separately is a blunt overgeneralization. There are even many more domains that aren’t presented. Just consider the political, the technologic or legal domains.

Because of this entanglement, a change in one domain will likely also impact other domains. Progress here can be cause for progress there. That’s one of the ways different domains within hegemony and counter-hegemony evolve.

One has to be cautious however of conflating too many different domains, as this can be cause for confusion or a loss of focus.

Worse even, it can alienate the very people you’re trying to convince and win over.

41

5. A sustainable counter-hegemony begins with ad hoc ideas an initiatives that each chart their own sustainable path.

Initiatives that are initially separate and heading in all directions can gradually begin to come into contact with each other. When experiences are exchanged, commonalities and similarities become visible that give those involved the sense of belonging to something they’re building together: the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Certain ways of thinking and acting are adopted or, if they are already present, placed within a more coherent framework.

What was all over the place at first now begins to move towards a particular direction. A movement can emerge.

When this continues and expands, initial exchanges between a limited group of like-minded new initiatives and organizations can begin to instigate current organizations.

When such exchanges are sustained long enough, the differences between new and current ways of thinking and doing may diminish and even disappear altogether here and there.

When the blurring of differences becomes structural, the conditions are in place to move from counter-hegemony to hegemony.

But on the way there, lots of things can still go wrong.

6. The road towards a sustainable counter-hegemony is very bumpy.

Establishing a sustainable counter-hegemony is quite a challenge, not least because we must do so within the current hegemony. When we establish new social organizations, they will stand alongside other, current social organizations and new, sustainable ideas will compete with current ones. More than once, this will be cause for tension.

42

7. A sustainable counter-hegemony constantly runs the risk of being hijacked by the current hegemony.

Hijacking is a normal dynamic in a hegemony: by making concessions to a counter-hegemony, hegemony can adopt parts of the counterhegemonic agenda. At the same time, the sharpest edges are filed away.

As such, part of the new thinking and acting is absorbed within the current hegemony. Not too much, because that would disrupt the current hegemony. But also not too little, as that would not remove the counter-hegemonic discontent. A hegemony thus seeks to reduce the thinking and actions of a counter-hegemony to something futile. It aims to neutralize its impact by (partially) claiming it.

These kinds of tactical moves often happen unconsciously but they are of course no less effective.

Through such forms of recuperation, hegemonies continue to evolve.

But for a counter-hegemony, recuperation can be devastating. It can choke the momentum and lead to disillusionment.

8. A sustainable counter-hegemony must arm itself against the current hegemony.

A sustainable counter-hegemony can arm itself against recuperation by the current hegemony in several ways: • •

• • •

By being sufficiently radical (especially at the outset).

By realizing the new thinking as much as possible within new social organizations rather than trying to transform existing social organizations.

By operating outside existing institutions as much and as long as possible.

By simply remaining conscious and vigilant of any form of recuperation by any hegemonic actor.

By flat out seeking the confrontation from time to time.

43

9. A sustainable counter-hegemony will be diverse: different individuals and social organizations will realize it differently.

There is no one size fits all or uniform way to think and act sustainably.

Different people and groups will interpret sustainability differently.

10. Achieving a sustainable counter-hegemony is an ongoing balancing act.

To be successful, new ways of thinking and acting must be accessible to as many people as possible.

It is a continuous process of probing and searching for the right balance: sufficiently antagonistic (clearly separate; almost confrontational) and at the same time agonistic (open to enter into dialogue; respectful of one another; seeking connections; embracing many forms of sustainability as much as possible while staying true to the own sustainable counter-hegemonic identity).

Sustainability can be a great connector: we can be sustainably connected while respecting our differences in other domains.

Across all these boundaries and differences, we can strive for the broadest possible sustainable alliance, by showing appreciation for every form of genuine sustainability.

11. Achieving a sustainable counter-hegemony requires persistence.

Sustainable counter-hegemonic thinking and acting does not happen overnight. It requires sustained effort and focus from many people.

It is continually working towards a different future along with many others within a sometimes hostile current hegemony.

The paths towards a sustainable society will be very diverse. Even though we will often try to follow in someone else's footsteps, we will never be able to travel in exactly the same way. We will all have to chart our own path.

44

What matters is that we embark on the journey with as many as possible, as quickly and decisively as possible and stick to it as long and consistently as possible.

Even though the chances of success are uncertain, the right direction will often be unclear, and it may feel like fighting a losing battle more than once, we must persevere.

What if we fail?

Our future will be sustainable or it won't be. It's that simple. That's the urgency of a sustainable counter-hegemony.

Every day that is unsustainable is a day lost that we can never recover. We have already lost decades. This is our decade of truth.

45

CHAPTER 4 | How to achieve a sustainable counter-hegemony There are several paths that can lead to a sustainable society. When we work together to turn our sustainable ideas (how we think) into concrete actions (what we do), we, citizens, create for ourselves the best opportunities to help determine what a sustainable hegemony will look like.

We, citizens, coming up with and realizing new, sustainable ideas together, are the main lever for change. “How we can save our world” and NARDIS can help with that.

However big the effort we put in, the road to a sustainable society will likely be long and bumpy.

46

Not a sustainable dictatorship We can follow different roads towards a sustainable society, but if we, citizens, want to co-determine the direction of this new hegemony, one of our better options is to work together to achieve a sustainable counter-hegemony.

Otherwise, a sustainable dictatorship may very well emerge. When the need to save the planet becomes that pressing and urgent, there may be consent within society about enforcing drastic sustainable measures.

When global warming throws our daily lives into even more tangible disarray, there is a real possibility that a majority of the population will embrace a sustainable dictatorship (enlightened or otherwise).

Although such an approach could save the planet, it most likely would at the same time suspend a whole series of freedoms.

Fortunately, it hasn't come to that yet. By working together as citizens and striving towards a sustainable counter-hegemony, we can still shape our own future. We still hold the keys largely in our own hands.

The role of the media Access to media outlets can be important to spread sustainable ideas as widely as possible. But gaining access is neither easy nor without risk.

Large media institutions are part of the current hegemony and favor affirmative voices and the status quo. There is some room for criticism and counter-thinking but only within certain boundaries.

Those who draw outside the lines often find it harder to be heard.

That is why we always see and hear the same talking heads.

Moreover, appearing in the current media is a form of conformity to the current hegemony. Enabling some counter-hegemonic voices to be heard within the current hegemonic chalk lines can be a way to

47

(partially and safely) recuperate (and thus neutralize) some counter-hegemonic thinking and acting.

For those new voices emerging from within the counter-hegemony that are featured in the media, it will be important not to lose sight of the many risks, like…

• •

•

Recuperation of (part of) the counter-hegemonic thinking and acting in order to render it harmless.

Watering down of the counter-hegemonic ideas and actions when we’re getting too close to the current hegemonic ideas and actions.

Celebrating successes that may seem impactful from a hegemonic standpoint but that are by far insufficient from a counter-hegemonic standpoint.

For those who want to follow a more radical counter-hegemonic approach by, for example, deliberately staying clear from media institutions, it will be important not to lose touch with the wider population: •

•

Focusing too much on one's own rightness can lead to ghettoization in thought and action, making it impossible to achieve broad support.

Holding on too tight to one's own more radical principles can make it impossible to reach the wider population. When the current media channels are excluded from communication on the basis of more radical principles, you may retain the purity of your principles but at the same time you risk reaching far too few people to be truly impactful. When you want to preserve the purity of your counter-hegemonic principles by separating yourself from the wider society, it will be nearly impossible to hoist that same society on board either.

Spreading counter-hegemonic thinking and acting within a hegemonic reality is a difficult balancing act and finding the right balance will require constant adjustment.

48

Sustainable hegemony = Consistently thinking and acting sustainably, from individual over social organization to institution.

49

5. From sustainable counter-hegemony towards sustainable hegemony 1. There is no blueprint for a sustainable hegemony.

We have no idea what a future sustainable hegemony or sustainable society will look like.

There simply is no blueprint and trying to work one out is futile. It is bound to fail.

No one has ever written a blueprint for the current hegemony or society nor has there ever been a blueprint in the past that was penciled down in advance and then realized. No ideological, philosophical or religious blueprint for the future has survived the confrontation with reality. Not one has ever materialized.

Blueprints are like castles in the sky: it may seem like a useful tool that provides people with a direction but the end station itself will not be reached. As is often the case, "the journey" is more important than the destination. We can, at best, present some high level ideas of what a sustainable hegemony could possibly entail, but no-one knows in advance whether things will pan out this way.

2. In a sustainable hegemony, thinking sustainably happens automatically.

What is initially a conscious exercise becomes automatic after a while. The sustainable choice is no longer something we, as individuals, social organizations and institutions, have to think about but something we choose naturally. An obvious choice. The normal way of thinking. Common sense.

3. In a sustainable hegemony, we act sustainably by nature.

To act sustainably means that we realize as many activities as possible as sustainably as possible.

50

Work is sustainable. Travel, eating, shopping, studying, coming together, partying... are all sustainable activities.

The prefix “sustainable” has become superfluous: “acting sustainably” has simply become “acting”.

When we do things sustainably, routines and automatisms emerge which in turn influence our thinking. Sustainable thinking and acting thus reinforce each other.

4. In a sustainable hegemony, force of habit is naturally sustainable.

Thinking and acting sustainably is made easy as work and leisure will inherently be sustainable. As a society, we will simply no longer accept being unsustainable.

As we become more sustainable, everything around us becomes more sustainable as well. The easier sustainable living and working becomes, the more difficult finding unsustainable options becomes.

As strange as it may sound today, in a future sustainable hegemony, we will consider many of our current unsustainable activities as absolutely absurd and alienating.

5. In a sustainable hegemony, we will still interpret sustainability differently.

Sustainability is not a straitjacket that applies to everyone in the same way and to the same extent. We will have to fit it within the reality of each individual, each social organization and each institution.

Sustainability is diverse by nature. There is no sustainability bible that can tell us how we should live and work sustainably. How we flesh out sustainability (as individuals, social organizations, and institutions) will be different tomorrow compared to today. After all, sustainability yesterday was also different from today. Sustainability will continue to evolve: even in a sustainable hegemony, it will not be static.

Diversity and plurality remain a necessity, also within a sustainable hegemony.

51

CHAPTER 5 | From sustainable counter-hegemony to sustainable hegemony Within a sustainable hegemony, we think and act sustainably by nature. Doing so is evident and common sense, although we will continue to interpret sustainability in various ways.

What a sustainable hegemony or society will look like exactly, we do not know, as there is no blueprint. But what is a foregone conclusion, is that a next hegemony must be a lot more sustainable than what we have today.

Our future will be sustainable or it will not be much of a future.

52

Positive or negative sustainability We can look at living and working more sustainably in a positive as well as a negative way.

• •

In a positive interpretation, sustainability stimulates us to set up new, sustainable initiatives together that make life more enjoyable and richer.

A negative interpretation sees sustainability primarily as something that is imposed on us from outside that hinders us.

Still, a sustainable hegemony that we as citizens help shape, contains all the elements for a positive, rich and full life together with others.

53

Communicating vessels Thinking and acting often are communicating vessels but not always. Think about it: even though many of us already consider sustainability to be important, at the same time, many of our activities are still very unsustainable. So thinking and acting certainly do not always complement each other.

That’s because many other factors come into play as well: maybe the sustainable alternative is too expensive or too difficult to realize, perhaps you do not know where to begins as others around you are not yet acting in this way and you do not want to feel the outsider of the group, maybe there are other conflicting expectations or obligations or motivations that play a role as well...

By setting up new social organizations, sustainable options become more tangible, achieving concrete results is facilitated and social cohesion is forged fueled by our desire to achieve goals together.

Within such new initiatives and organizations, sustainable action becomes a lever that stimulates sustainable thinking.

Few things will influence sustainable thinking as profoundly as acting sustainably.

54

6. On leadership and power 1. Hegemony and counter-hegemony cannot be controlled.

People are way too irrational and too unpredictable and the complexities and pluralities of any form of hegemony or counterhegemony are too complex and too diverse to be controlled by anything or anyone. Institutions, social organizations nor individuals succeed in doing so.

Hegemony is not directed by a ruling class, just as counterhegemonies are not directed by some kind of vanguard: leadership at most reinforces what is already present.

Within societies, it is difficult to quasi-impossible to really pull the strings as power relations are almost always dispersed, scattered, nuanced, fuzzy and flou.

2. Hegemony is built on consent, not coercion.

Leaders and leading groups emerge only because we, the people, allow them to emerge. Power can only be hold on to when we, the people, consent to it. We determine the forms of power to which we consent.

We all shape hegemony, both in reaffirming it and in changing it. What we all think and do or don't think or do, determines what hegemony looks like and how it evolves. Leaders and leading groups are merely the megaphones that amplify the different currents within a hegemony.

3. Leadership is always temporary.

The role of the hegemon (the leader or leading group) is never fixed or absolute. Consent by the group or society is still needed. Without consent, only coercion remains. When the center of gravity shifts from consent to coercion, both hegemon and hegemony lose legitimacy.

55

Leadership without power Of course, power within a society is not distributed equally. Some individuals, social groups and institutions have more power.

Phrased differently, compared to others, they have had more success in using hegemonic thinking and acting to realize their own agenda without antagonizing all too drastically the broader society.

They have thus succeeded in appropriating a larger share of the cake, in the form of property or political power, for example.

In the words of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, they have built up more economic, social and/or cultural capital. Due to that greater capital, they are able to weigh in more on the conversations, ideas and actions within (parts of) society, and thus on the decisionmaking.

But individuals and groups that lead do not simply impose their ideas on the rest of us. They are themselves subject to hegemonic thinking and acting.

Leading individuals and groups still have to maneuver within the chalk lines of hegemony. No one is free from hegemony. Behind the scenes, leading individuals and groups may bend or violate hegemonic rules but as soon as this is exposed, their positions of power may come under pressure.

When what is acceptable within a hegemony is exceeded, a more pronounced counter-reaction from society may arise.

When that backlash turns against the current hegemony, there is a good chance that the systems of power at the government's disposal and which are deemed authorized to exercise force, will spring into action. The center of gravity within a hegemony then shifts from consent to coercion, from agreement, approval, resignation to force, violence and repression.

As mentioned, hegemonies largely lose their legitimacy at such times.

And although individuals and groups with more power seem ubiquitous, at the same time they remain anomalies that we,

56

citizens, view with justified suspicion and a certain level of contempt.

We tolerate their existence, though not wholeheartedly. We continue to view them critically even when we do not always show it.

But as citizens, we always retain the right and power to make ourselves heard and seen and to go against leading individuals and groups when they are out of line.

Leaders are never omnipotent.

And we, ordinary people and citizens, are not impotent!

4. One of the key characteristics of leadership is powerlessness.

Leaders are led by the reality within which they operate. They play the leadership role to give the appearance that they are in control.

But when the impression is given that someone is pulling the strings, it is important for us, citizens, to realize that it is mere appearance.

No one is leading. Those who claim to lead are hallucinating.

Leadership is an illusion.

At best, one could try to manipulate some part of hegemony, but it will be impossible to know in advance where you will land.

5. Hegemony is not imposed on us.

In representative democracies, there is no absolute hegemony that is centrally directed and controlled by a hegemon (a leading group or ruling class) and that is imposed on everyone. The majority embraces a certain way of thinking and acting ("because that's the way it should be") which is then further reinforced and reconfirmed by our natural, human and social dynamics.

57

How we think and what we do is rarely imposed by force.

The use of coercion, force and repression within social organizations and institutions in functioning representative democracies is limited and increasingly less accepted today. Coercion is not a sword of Damocles that hangs permanently over our heads, but rather something that slumbers underneath the surface.

Still, it is also never completely gone.

6. The urge to conform is also a form of violence.

At the same time, consent (assent, acceptance, resignation) also comes with a certain degree of coercion and therefore violence. The pressure to conform to the group can be so great that it becomes hard to imagine how to resist. Once certain ways are internalized, thinking and acting differently can seem very strange and feel unnatural.

Internalized compulsions can make us believe that we must think and act in certain ways. Through this same dynamic, it can feel like we actually want it that way or that it is our own deliberate choice.

But no matter how coercive hegemony feels, there is always room for counter-hegemonic thinking and acting, however small that may be.

Counter-hegemonic thinking and acting always remains possible.

58

Great minds think (and act) alike Thinking and acting like other people around us, gives us a sense of belonging. It creates stronger bonds between people.

For spreading sustainable ideas and actions - and thus building a sustainable (counter-) hegemony - this dynamic will be crucial.

We can only build a more sustainable future together. When we internalize counter-hegemonic thinking and acting and increasingly consider this to be the norm within our society, counter-hegemony can gradually become hegemony.

The urge to conform will be crucial to evolve from sustainable counter-hegemony to sustainable hegemony.

7. A (counter-)hegemony follows its own path, without control, without anyone at the helm.

Once a direction is set, a wide variety of dynamics takes over that no one controls or manages.

Should, at some point, leaders emerge from within a sustainable counter-hegemony, then a large part of their fate will be to ride the waves that the counter-hegemony makes by itself.

At the same time, the risk that these so-called leaders will lose themselves along the way is extremely high and can never be fully eliminated. Leaders play the role necessary to give the appearance that they are firmly in control but what initially starts out as "playing a role" can become internalized. They become the role they play and change as a person.

When confronted with leadership, it is important to keep a few things in mind: •

Leadership is overrated and only relevant in rare moments.

•

Any form of power is suspect and we must approach it critically.

59

•

Leadership is always temporary.

In the confrontation between sustainable counter-hegemony and current hegemony, it is important to keep this in mind: •

Current thinking and acting can hijack new ways of thinking and acting. That is the eternal battle of current versus new.

•

Politics and technology alone - the kingpins in the current hegemony - will not get us there.

The road to a sustainable hegemony will be paved by us, citizens.

•

We are hegemony. Changing hegemony must be done by us, citizens.

•

When we change, hegemony changes.

We, citizens who think and act sustainably, are the key to sustainable success.

60

CHAPTER 6 | On leadership and power It is an illusion to think that we can force hegemony or counterhegemony to follow a predetermined orbit. Hegemonies follow their own dynamics but they do not do so independently from us: we are its active agents who can help pull the cart or try to push it in a slightly different direction.

How we think and what we do makes a difference.

The foundation for hegemony is not power but consent and so the importance of leaders and leading groups is limited. The urge and compulsion to conform are often more difficult obstacles on the road towards a sustainable hegemony. At the same time, they are crucial to moving from sustainable counter-hegemony to sustainable hegemony.

We, citizens, are the lever to sustainable success.

We are hegemony.

61

62

Towards a sustainable hegemony 1. What is hegemony 1. Hegemony = how we think and what we do, from individual over social organization to institution.

2. Hegemony is everywhere and touches everything.

3. Hegemonic thinking and acting is for the most part accidental.

4. Thinking and acting hegemonically happens unconsciously most of the time.

5. Hegemony operates under the radar most of the time.

6. Hegemony arises spontaneously.

7. Hegemony brings stability.

8. We cannot do without hegemony.

9. Hegemony is self-reinforcing.

10. Hegemony is self-sustaining.

11. Hegemony is a self-renewing continuum.

12. Just about everything is at least hegemonically influenced.

13. Hegemony operates at three levels: individuals, social organizations and institutions.

14. Within society, all players play the game and thus help shape it.

15. Within hegemony the golden rule is: to conform = to confirm.

16. We regularly interpret hegemony differently.

17. Hegemony is never absolute.

18. Hegemonies evolve and change continuously.

63

19. Hegemony rests on a fragile balance.

20. Hegemony needs antagonism.

21. Different sub-hegemonies cohabit within a hegemony.

22. Sub-hegemonies may be more or less part of a hegemony.

23. The contours of a hegemony are porous and constantly under pressure.

24. Hegemony is complex.

25. Hegemony can probably never be fully understood.

2. How hegemonic change comes about 1. Change is hard.

2. Change begins with how we think.

3. Successful change requires us to act.

4. Change requires thinking and doing.

5. Change is achieved together.

6. Hegemonic change quietly sneaks into our lives.

7. Hegemonic change tends to be slow.

8. Change is inevitable.

9. Hegemony changes when we, citizens, change.

10. Hegemonic change moves from individuals over social organizations to institutions.

11. Institutions will probably be last to embrace hegemonic change (and by then it will no longer be a surprise).

12. Hegemonic change becomes institutionalized when it flows back towards social organizations and individuals.

64

3. There’s no hegemony without counterhegemony 1. Hegemony is never 100% absolute.

2. Counter-hegemonies always emerge.

3. Counter-hegemonic thinking and acting stems from hegemonic dissatisfaction.

4. Hegemonic dissatisfaction begins with individuals.

5. Counter-hegemony is always social.

6. Counter-hegemony becomes real in doing.

7. Counter-hegemony materializes when many new ideas arise among many individuals who, along with many other individuals, organize themselves into a wide range of new social organizations.

8. Counter-hegemony must remain expansive for a long time to be successful.

9. It takes a mass of individuals and social organizations think and act counter-hegemonically, before the chance arise for institutions to switch.

10. Institutionalization is crucial to complete a counter-hegemony.

4. How to realize a sustainable counterhegemony 1. We, citizens, who come up with and realize new sustainable ideas, are the main lever for a sustainable counter-hegemony.

2. A sustainable counter-hegemony begins with individuals and becomes concrete through new social organizations.

3. We realize a sustainable counter-hegemony together.

65

4. The building blocks for a sustainable counter-hegemony are new ecological, economic and social ideas are.

5. A sustainable counter-hegemony begins with ad hoc ideas an initiatives that each chart their own sustainable path.

6. The road towards a sustainable counter-hegemony is very bumpy.

7. A sustainable counter-hegemony constantly runs the risk of being hijacked by the current hegemony.

8. A sustainable counter-hegemony must arm itself against the current hegemony.

9. A sustainable counter-hegemony will be diverse: different individuals and social organizations will realize it differently.

10. Achieving a sustainable counter-hegemony is an ongoing balancing act.

11. Achieving a sustainable counter-hegemony requires persistence.

5. From sustainable counter-hegemony towards sustainable hegemony 1. There is no blueprint for a sustainable hegemony.

2. In a sustainable hegemony, thinking sustainably happens automatically.

3. In a sustainable hegemony, we act sustainably by nature.

4. In a sustainable hegemony, force of habit is naturally sustainable.

5. In a sustainable hegemony, we will still interpret sustainability differently.

6. On leadership and power 1. Hegemony and counter-hegemony cannot be controlled.

66

2. The foundation for hegemony is consent, not coercion.

3. Leadership is always temporary.

4. One of the key characteristics of leadership is powerlessness.

5. Hegemony is not imposed on us.

6. The urge to conform is also a form of violence.

7. A (counter-)hegemony follows its own path, without control, without anyone at the helm.

67

References: 1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony

2

“No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference” is a book by climate activist Greta Thunberg Cover photo: 'green grass field under white clouds' by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash

68

Dirk Stael lives with his family in rural SintLievens-Houtem (Belgium). In addition to being a writer, he is also active as a change consultant and content marketer. www.dirkstael.com

69

There is something at work in our society that we seldom see or hear, yet, at the same time, we both undergo and shape it every day again. That’s hegemony.

“Towards a sustainable society - How a sustainable counter-hegemony can change the current hegemony” zooms in on how hegemony determines how we think and what we do, as individuals, social organizations and institutions.

We take a closer look at how hegemony affects our daily lives as citizens ("hegemony without hegemon") and consider how we can move away from the current hegemony towards a sustainable society, by constructing a sustainable counterhegemony.

70