ABSTRACT
The quotation ‘ignorance is strength’ is a very useful starting point, because it implicitly raises questions about the balance of power between the ‘ordinary citizen’ and those who have some form of power and control. One form of power and control is the ability of some groups of citizens to get their view of the world adopted as being ‘correct’, which by definition means that opposing and different views are ‘wrong’. If a dominant group of citizens can impose their view of the world and it is that view that becomes ‘reality’, it is this group of citizens who will be able to influence, dominate and effectively control the cultural and political perceptions of other citizens. This dominance is sometimes referred to as ‘hegemony’.
