The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite
by Musa Al-Gharbi
- Auteur(s)
- Musa Al-Gharbi
- Uitgever, jaar
- Oxford ; Princeton : Princeton University, 2025
- Omvang
- 421, [5] p., 29 cm.
- ISBN
- 9780691235349
Society has never been more egalitarian—in theory. Prejudice is taboo, and diversity is strongly valued. At the same time, social and economic inequality have exploded. In We Have Never Been Woke, Musa al-Gharbi argues that these trends are closely related, each tied to the rise of a new elite—the symbolic capitalists. In education, media, nonprofits, and beyond, members of this elite work primarily with words, ideas, images, and data, and are very likely to identify as allies of antiracist, feminist, LGBTQ, and other progressive causes. Their dominant ideology is “wokeness” and, while their commitment to equality is sincere, they actively benefit from and perpetuate the inequalities they decry. Al-Gharbi’s point is not to accuse symbolic capitalists of hypocrisy or cynicism. Rather, he examines how their genuine beliefs prevent them from recognizing how they contribute to social problems—or how their actions regularly provoke backlash against the social justice causes they champion.
- Trefwoorden
- (on)gelijkheid / (in)equity , ethics , culture
- Locatie in de bibliotheek
- Kast 11C - 1: Filosofie ; Sociologie ; Maatschappij ; Politiek / Philosophy ; Sociology ; Society ; Politics
- Opmerkingen
- with a new preface by the author
- Bevat
- notes , index , references
