Kevin M. Schultz, "Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals): A History" (U Chicago Press, 2025)

Oct 10, 2025

Kevin M. Schultz, Professor and chair of history at the University of Illinois Chicago, dives into the turbulent legacy of American white liberals. He reveals how critiques from conservatives, libertarians, and even fellow liberals have evolved over the decades. Schultz explores the changing definition of 'liberalism' and its complex ties to capitalism. He argues for a shift towards a multiparty political system and presents cautious optimism for center-left coalitions to reclaim progressive ideals. This lively discourse is a must-listen for anyone curious about America’s political landscape.

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INSIGHT

How 'Liberal' Became A Political Center

"Liberal" in the U.S. became a central political label around FDR and the New Deal, redefining centrist government action.
The word's meaning shifted over centuries from broad-minded freedom to economic and social policy role changes.

INSIGHT

Multiple 'Shooters' Undermined Liberalism

Multiple ideological camps—right, left, and civil-rights leaders—assailed liberalism from the 1950s–1970s for different reasons.
Those critiques converged to erode the political center and hollow out liberalism's public defense.

ANECDOTE

Civil-Rights Leaders' Disillusionment

Black leaders like James Baldwin and Martin Luther King Jr. initially hoped white liberals would help achieve equality.
By the mid-1960s many turned on white liberals as they felt promises were unfulfilled.

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A bracing, accessible history of white American liberals—and why it’s time to change the conversation about them.
If there’s one thing most Americans can agree on, it’s that everyone hates white liberals. Conservatives hate them for being culturally tolerant and threatening to usher in communism. Libertarians hate them for believing in the power of the state. Socialists hate them for serving as capitalism’s beard. Even liberals hate liberals—either because they can’t manage to overcome their own prejudices, or precisely because they’re so self-hating.
This is the starting point for Kevin M. Schultz’s lively new history of white liberals in the United States. He efficiently lays out the array of objections to liberals—ineffective, spineless, judgmental, authoritarian, and more—in a historical frame that shows how protean the concept has been throughout the past hundred years. It turns out, he declares, that how you define a “white liberal” is less a reflection of reality and more a Rorschach test revealing your own anxieties.
Sharply assessing how decades of attacks on liberals and liberalism have steadily hollowed out the center of American political life, Schultz also explains precisely what needs to be done to avoid digging ourselves even further into the hole of polarization. The ultimate goal, he argues, is to achieve political fragmentation that will fuel the rise of a true multiparty system, where ideology will matter more, not less.
With a tight command of postwar American history and a spirited voice, Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals): A Critical History (University of Chicago Press, 2025) is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand—and envision a way forward in—the complicated landscape of American politics.

Kevin M. Schultz is professor and chair of history at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He is the author of Buckley and Mailer and Tri-Faith America.

Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos

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