hegemony

n. authority or influence exercised by one state over others, leadership, predominance

Hegemony (pronounced []) is a concept that has been used to describe the existence of dominance of one social group over another, such that the ruling group -- referred to as a hegemon -- acquires some degree of consent from the subordinate, as opposed to dominance purely by force. The processes by which a dominant culture maintains its dominant position: for example, the use of institutions to formalize power; the employment of a bureaucracy to make power seem abstract (and, therefore, not attached to any one individual); the inculcation of the populace in the ideals of the hegomonic group through education, advertising, publication, etc.; the mobilization of a police force as well as military personnel to subdue opposition.
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Noun
1. the domination of one state over its allies
(hypernym) political system, form of government

(n.)
Leadership; preponderant influence or authority; -- usually applied to the relation of a government or state to its neighbors or confederates.
  

a culture or instituion is a hegemony if it is so dominant that other cultures and institutions do not have a voice.