Whether it is about Germany's role in Europe or the crumbling of the neoliberal consensus, one word is currently in vogue: hegemony. Since ancient Greece, this term has referred to a relationship between states (as in the theory of international relations) or classes (e.g., in the work of Antonio Gramsci), characterized by a specific mix of voluntariness and coercion. By tracing the history of the concept in various cultures, Perry Anderson simultaneously demonstrates that its respective connotations are always a political barometer for changing power dynamics.