HEGEMONY IN THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL: A GRAMSCIAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This study aims to examine how Antonio Gramsci’s four core concepts — hegemony, common sense, consent, and counter-hegemony — operate within Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil (2022). While previous studies on this film have primarily focused on beauty myths and physical stereotypes, this paper offers a comprehensive critical approach to revealing how ideological power functions across the film’s narrative, character representations, and institutional dynamics. The study employs a qualitative descriptive method through textual analysis, conducted via systematic close viewing of dialogues, character actions, and narrative arcs. The findings demonstrate that the school institution functions as a civil society apparatus that naturalizes dominant standards of Good and Evil through the role of organic intellectuals, sustains them through the voluntary consent of its subjects, and ultimately absorbs resistance without structural change. Furthermore, the study reveals that while counter-hegemonic potential emerges through Agatha’s critical stance, it remains limited in scope and falls short of constituting true Gramscian counter-hegemony. This research contributes an innovative perspective by comprehensively applying classical Gramscian political theory to contemporary popular fantasy film, thereby enriching both cultural studies and literary criticism in the field of media and film analysis.