Member-only story
The Emperor is Naked! Hegemony in Education
Hans Christian Anderson’s tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, is a cleverly written story about workers who weave a fine garment for the Emperor. The weavers claim that their garments are made from the rarest and finest cloth imaginable, visible only by the smartest and most excellent individuals. Those who were not smart or excellent would see nothing at all. Believing in his own majestic nature and brilliance, the Emperor will not admit that he cannot see the beautiful garment sewn by the weavers, who are, in actuality, clever swindlers. The Emperor proceeds to wear the garment in the grand annual parade, where all his subjects line the streets to admire their ruler. Knowing that only the smartest and most excellent people can see the magical cloth from which the Emperor’s garment is made, the subjects admire the invisible robes and stay silent about the fact that the Emperor is naked. No one will admit that they cannot see the garment and are, therefore, not smart and excellent. Everyone invests in the fairytale advocated by the Emperor, the person in power, and the masses deny what they “know” in favor of that which is deemed “smart” and “excellent.” This is an example of cultural hegemony. The Emperor and his subjects are all investing in the hegemony, buying in to a reality that is advocated by the power structure and “sold” to the people.
