Dominant Culture

Dominant Culture Definition

A dominant culture is one that is able, through economic or political power, to impose its values, language, and ways of behaving on a subordinate culture or cultures.

Context and Mechanisms

Whereas traditional societies can be characterized by a high consistency of cultural traits and customs, modern societies are often conglomerations of different, frequently competing cultures and subcultures. In such conditions of diversity, dominance may be achieved through the legal or political suppression of other sets of values and patterns of behavior, or by monopolizing the media of communication, so that the dominant group’s worldview becomes the standard against which others are measured.