We have never been woke : the cultural contradictions of a new elite / Musa al-Gharbi ; with a new preface by the author.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

al-Gharbi, Musa, 1983- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Elite (Social sciences).

Social capital (Sociology).

Equality--United States--History--21st century.

Equality.

Identity politics--United States--History--21st century.

Identity politics.

Social justice--United States--History--21st century.

Social justice.

Power (Social sciences)--United States--21st century.

Power (Social sciences).

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2025.

Summary:

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. Indeed, their egalitarian credentials help them gain more power and status, often at the expense of the marginalized and disadvantaged. We Have Never Been Woke details how the language of social justice is increasingly used to justify this elite--and to portray the losers in the knowledge economy as deserving their lot because they think or say the "wrong" things about race, gender, and sexuality. 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. A powerful critique, We Have Never Been Woke reveals that only by challenging this elite's self-serving narratives can we hope to address social and economic inequality effectively"-- De Gruyter Brill.

Contents:

On wokeness

The great awokening(s)

Symbolic domination

Postmaterialist politics

Totemic capital(ism)

Mystification of social processes.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed December 22, 2025).

Other Format:

Print version: al-Gharbi, Musa, 1983- We have never been woke

ISBN:

9780691277431

0691277435

OCLC:

1545500850

Publisher Number:

CIPO000304436

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license