Theory of Ideological Hegemony and Imperial Phase of Capitalism

Theory of Ideological Hegemony and the Imperial Phase of Capitalism offers a groundbreaking synthesis of Marxist, Gramscian, and Althusserian theory to explain how ideology, power, and global capitalism reproduce themselves through modern state and supranational institutions.In this wide-ranging study, Aleksandar Korolija develops the original concept of the imperial ideological apparatus—a framework that connects the structures of global finance, political power, and transnational institutions such as NATO, the IMF, and NGOs with the formation of contemporary ideological systems. Combining philosophical precision with historical analysis, the book explores how class domination is maintained not only through economic coercion but through the cultural and ideological mechanisms of the global order. Drawing on Marx, Gramsci, and Althusser—while critically engaging with other critical authors—Korolija demonstrates how the transition from the nation-state to the imperial phase of capitalism transforms the function of ideology itself. This theory connects the formation of hegemony in the classical Marxist sense to the reproduction of global capitalist power in the 21st century.This is an excerpt with two out of six sections.Winner of the 2023 and 2024 Best Dissertation Award of the Serbian Sociological Society