Hegemony in an Elementary School: The Principal as Headless Horseman.

The term "dramaturgy" is derived from the notion of a theoretical performance. In the theater, the audience consents to temporarily suspend disbelief and unquestionably accepts the reality presented on stage. The actors, however, understand that the reality they present is constituted. This paper presents an ethnographic account and analysis of one elementary principal's use of dramaturgy to achieve hegemony within the school. The dramaturgies the principal performed, particularly his annual Halloween ride as the Headless Horseman, became powerful symbols of the dominant ideology the principal represented in the school. Examined are the social interactions through which a principal attempts to achieve the acceptance of the culture and ideology of the dominant social group in children of nondominant groups. First, there is a discussion of critical theory and hegemony through the cultural patterns of a dominant group. This is followed by a description of the research procedure detailing the use of ethnographic techniques. Next is a first-person account of the Halloween dramaturgy. It describes the actions of the principal and reactions of the researcher, students, teachers, and other people in the community. A discussion of dramaturgy and the example of the Headless Horseman provide the basis of the concluding discussion. (Contains 33 references.) (RR)