Beyond Wokeness: Cultural Socialism and Its Impact

Manhattan Insights

The clash between "woke" progressivism and classical enlightenment ideals has tested the foundational pillars of modern liberalism—free speech, due process, equal treatment, objective truth, and beyond. This battle is most fiercely fought on university campuses across the English-speaking world. At the heart of the trendy concept of "wokeness" lies the ideology of cultural socialism. Rooted in the pursuit of equity for all identity groups and safeguarding against the minutest harms, it poses a significant challenge for defenders of broadly liberal values.

Eric Kaufmann is a professor of politics at the University of Buckingham and an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He joins Reihan Salam to talk about our polarized political culture and how we should understand "cultural socialism."

Related reading:

From monoculture to counterculture: why I am leaving Birkbeck for Buckingham (The Critic) https://thecritic.co.uk/from-monoculture-to-counterculture-why-i-am-leaving-birkbeck-for-buckingham/

Why Conservatives Must Not Abandon Universities: A four-point plan (Aporia Magazine) https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/why-conservatives-must-not-abandon