Social Pessimism

On the mainstreaming of racial thinking.

We welcome back author and broadcaster Kenan Malik to talk about his new book, Not So Black and White. The book presents a historical account of how racial thinking has accompanied the spread of notions of equality and common humanity.  How is it that many supposed humanitarians in the past were often racists?

And how have we reached a point where today, many liberals and supposed anti-racists sustain racial thinking? How have notions of global whiteness/blackness come to dominate the discourse?

We also discuss the 'post-liberal' critics of wokeness and their shortcomings, and whether the far right is gaining from the reification of race.

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• Not So Black and White: A History of Race from White Supremacy to Identity Politics, Kenan Malik, Hurst
• /70/ In Defence of Universalism ft. Kenan Malik