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Abstract
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Hegemony is a Marxist notion that was an important focus of Antonio Gramsci, a prominent Marxist thinker. The notion of hegemony, often synonymous with ideology, has been used to study power relations between those who hold the power in society and those who are expected to obey them. The literature which was produced in apartheid South Africa is a good field to study and explore the notion of hegemony. Therefore, this study investigates the workings of hegemony in two anti-apartheid novels, Nadine Gordimer's My Son’s Story (1990) and Andre Brink’s Rumors of Rain (1978). This study also provides an analysis of the novels’ main characters’ and how they face hegemonic forces. Throughout both novels, it is noticeable that almost all the main characters are affected by hegemony and, at first, perceive the unjust laws as natural and normal. This is true of both white and black people. As the stories progress, however, most of these characters notice the dominant ideology and try to expose and defy it through counter-hegemonic actions. In My Son’s Story, Sonny resists the hegemonic powers by getting involved in street riots and trying to make people aware of their hegemonized conditions. Also, in Rumors of Rain, Bernard and Louis give up their white privileges and stand with black people in their fight against the hegemonizing state.
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