Laurie Taylor talks to philosopher Susan Neiman about the concept of 'woke' and its attack on progressive values. Huw Davies discusses the British 'war on woke' as an ideological campaign mobilizing reactionary tropes in mainstream British politics.
'Woke' politics is not inherently left-wing but rather an attack on progressive, universal values and the Enlightenment.
The British 'war on woke' is an ideological campaign mobilizing reactionary tropes within mainstream political discourse.
Deep dives
The Expansion of the Term 'Woke'
The term 'woke' originally referred to being politically conscious and aware of racial injustice. However, it has now become a term of political division, often associated with left-wing hypersensitivity. Some political analysts argue that 'woke' is not just a term of disparagement, but a belief system, a set of ideas constituting a threat to Western civilization.
The Ideological Campaign Against Woke
The British war on woke has become an ideological campaign that is being mainstreamed in political discourse. Anti-woke campaigners, including conservatives and former revolutionaries, have come together to oppose what they see as the liberal left establishment. They claim that woke ideals are destabilizing Western civilization, deny the existence of structural racism, and argue that working-class interests are being neglected in favor of corporate and ethnic minority alliances.
Left versus Woke: A Philosophical Critique
Philosopher Susan Neiman argues that 'woke' politics undermines liberal left-wing principles and Enlightenment values. She criticizes the assumption that being woke is synonymous with left-wing views, highlighting how woke assumptions, such as ethnic roots determining political standpoint and cultural appropriation restrictions, contradict universalism and cultural understanding. Neiman contends that woke politics contributes to the undermining of genuine progress and diverts attention from pressing issues like climate change and the rise of far-right movements.
Woke: Laurie Taylor talks to Susan Neiman, philosopher and director of the Einstein Forum about her analysis of the concept of ‘woke’. Contrary to popular assumption, she argues, it is not a set of attitudes which belong on the left of the political spectrum, but is rather an attack on progressive, universal values and the Enlightenment.
They're joined by Huw Davies, lecturer in digital education at the University of Edinburgh, who offers a dissection of the British ‘war on woke’, suggesting that it is an intensive ideological campaign that is mobilising reactionary tropes within mainstream British political discourse.
Producer: Jayne Egerton
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