What happens when the guardians of cultural narratives and societal norms become inseparable from the very hierarchies they critique? Today, we explore the concept of "symbolic capitalists" with Musa al-Gharbi, author of We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite and assistant professor at the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University.

In this conversation, Musa discusses the role of symbolic capitalists in perpetuating societal inequalities and how their influence extends to academia and media. His latest book, "We Have Never Been Woke," provides a radical yet introspective take on these themes. Drawing from his experiences at elite institutions like Columbia University, he highlights the paradoxes and internal contradictions of symbolic capitalism. Join us as Musa al-Gharbi articulates the complicity of the professional-managerial class in societal injustices and reflects on the role of identity and networks in shaping academic and professional paths.

In This Episode:

• Definition and impact of symbolic capitalists
• Collaboration between symbolic and traditional capitalists
• Moral and ethical implications of symbolic professions
• The interplay between academia and elite credentialing
• Disparities within symbolic professions
• Exploitation of adjunct professors in higher education
• Historical context of social justice movements among symbolic capitalists
• The symbolic performance of advocacy vs. direct action
• Revisiting the relationship between personal success and systemic inequality

About Musa:

Musa al-Gharbi, Ph.D., is the Daniel Bell Research Fellow at Heterodox Academy, and an assistant professor of journalism, communication and sociology at Stony Brook University. Musa is the Author of We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite, published by Princeton University Press. He is a columnist for The Guardian and his writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic, among other publications. Find Musa on X at @Musa_alGharbi and on Substack. Learn more about Musa at: https://musaalgharbi.com/musa-al-gharbi/biography/

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