Introduction

It’s been a while since the Remnant featured some spirited kvetching about identity politics and wokeness in American life, but those issues haven’t exactly faded away. Today’s guest is Yascha Mounk, a prolific author and academic whose new book, The Identity Trap, examines where exactly woke ideology emerged from and how it became so influential. Yascha’s thesis is that an obsession with group identity is leading many progressives astray despite their good intentions, and that this is ultimately hindering progress toward true equality in American life. But why are so many people from across the political spectrum falling into the identity trap? What’s the appeal of populism and nationalism? And will Jonah’s growing crotchetiness soon cause him to completely give up on intellectual history?

Show Notes:

-Watch this interview on YouTube

-Yascha’s webpage

-Yascha’s new book, The Identity Trap

-Yascha’s previous book, The Great Experiment

-Yascha’s previous Remnant appearance

-Calvin Coolidge’s speech on America’s 150th birthday

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