The Good Fight Eric Kaufmann on “The Third Awokening”
In this discussion, Eric Kaufmann, a Politics Professor at the University of Buckingham, dives into the crisis of liberalism and its drift from classical principles. He addresses the rise of identitarianism and the need for a non-zero-sum approach to interethnic relations. The conversation also explores asymmetrical multiculturalism, examining how majority and minority identities are treated in society. Kaufmann further touches on the pressing issue of the global fertility decline and its implications for future demographics.
01:10:37
Origins of Identitarian Ideology
- Eric Kaufmann's book, "The Third Awakening," analyzes the rise of identitarian ideology.
- He believes an overly humanitarian liberalism combined with post-Marxist thought fuels it.
Early Cancel Culture
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan's report on the Black family, which highlighted fatherlessness, was shelved in 1965.
- This demonstrates an early instance of cancel culture for empirically grounded research.
Liberalism's Complicity
- Kaufmann argues that 20th-century left-liberalism's focus on equality and humanitarianism contributed to current identitarianism.
- This combination, he believes, lacks sufficient guardrails, especially regarding culture.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Exploring the Origins and Impact of Wokeness
02:19 • 4min
The Evolution of Anti-Racism Discourse
06:41 • 10min
Liberalism in Crisis: Tradition vs. Modernity
16:32 • 23min
Navigating Objectivity in Academia
40:01 • 12min
Navigating Asymmetrical Multiculturalism
51:57 • 9min
Navigating Identity: Commonality vs. Difference in Society
01:00:34 • 7min
Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex
Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex
A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics
Kimberle Crenshaw
In this seminal article, Kimberlé Crenshaw critiques the single-axis framework of antidiscrimination law, feminist theory, and antiracist politics.
She argues that this framework erases the experiences of Black women by forcing them to fit their discrimination into either racial or gender categories, rather than acknowledging the intersectional nature of their oppression.
Crenshaw uses several court cases to illustrate how this framework fails to address the unique challenges faced by Black women and advocates for a more inclusive approach that centers the experiences of the most marginalized groups.
The Negro Family: The Case For National Action
The Negro Family: The Case For National Action
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
The report, commonly known as the Moynihan Report, argues that the high rate of single-mother families in the black community is a significant barrier to economic and social equality.
Moynihan contended that this family structure issue, rooted in historical discrimination and cultural factors, perpetuates a cycle of poverty and disadvantage.
The report was controversial, with critics accusing it of 'blaming the victim' and neglecting the role of systemic racism.
Despite the controversy, it had a significant influence on policy discussions and the War on Poverty initiatives of the Johnson administration.
Can the subaltern speak?
Rosalind C. Morris
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
In 'Can the Subaltern Speak?
', Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak develops the concept of the 'subaltern' originally coined by Antonio Gramsci.
The essay critiques the representation of subaltern groups within capitalist and patriarchal societies, using deconstructionist methods to explore the international division of labor and capitalism's impact on the world.
Spivak analyzes historical and ideological factors that prevent subalterns from being heard, focusing on issues such as the self-immolation rite of 'sati' in India and the politics of silence among indigenous women.
The book includes reflections from eight scholars and an afterword by Spivak herself, discussing the essay's past interpretations and future implications.
Equality of Educational Opportunity
Equality of Educational Opportunity
James S. Coleman
This report, often referred to as the Coleman Report, was commissioned by the U.S.
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in response to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
It assesses the availability of equal educational opportunities for children of different races, colors, religions, and national origins.
The study details the degree of segregation of minority group pupils and teachers, the relationship between students' achievement and the schools they attend, and various aspects of educational quality such as curriculum, school facilities, and teacher characteristics.
The report also discusses future teachers of minority group children, case studies of school integration, and sections on higher education of minorities and school nonenrollment rates.
Politics in the Vernacular
Nationalism, Multiculturalism and Citizenship
Will Kymlicka
This volume brings together eighteen of Will Kymlicka's recent essays on nationalism, multiculturalism, and citizenship.
The essays expand on the well-known theory of minority rights first developed in his book *Multicultural Citizenship*.
Kymlicka applies his theory to several pressing controversies regarding ethnic relations, responds to some of his critics, and situates the debate over minority rights within the larger context of issues of nationalism, democratic citizenship, and globalization.
The book explores the requirements of ethnocultural justice in a liberal democracy, the need for power-sharing and distinctive rights for indigenous peoples, and the challenges of ethnocultural diversity to democratic citizenship.
Multicultural Citizenship
A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights
Will Kymlicka
In 'Multicultural Citizenship', Will Kymlicka argues that group-specific rights for minority cultures are consistent with liberal democratic principles.
He distinguishes between national minorities (such as indigenous peoples and the Québécois) and polyethnic or immigrant groups, advocating for different types of rights for each.
The book discusses issues such as language rights, group representation, religious education, federalism, and secession, which are central to understanding multicultural politics but have been neglected in contemporary liberal theory.
Kymlicka emphasizes that no single formula can be applied to all groups and that the needs and aspirations of immigrants differ significantly from those of indigenous peoples and national minorities.
Whiteshift
Populism, Immigration, and the Future of White Majorities
Eric Kaufmann
In this groundbreaking book, Eric Kaufmann examines the evidence to explore ethnic change in North American and Western Europe.
He traces four ways of dealing with this transformation—fight, repress, flight, and join—and argues that to avoid more radical political divisions, we need to open up debate about the future of white majorities.
The book is enriched with illustrative stories and draws on detailed survey, demographic, and electoral data, aiming to redefine the way we discuss race in the twenty-first century.
America's Cultural Revolution
How the Radical Left Conquered Everything
Christopher F. Rufo
In this book, Christopher F. Rufo uncovers the hidden history of left-wing intellectuals and militants who captured America’s institutions, including universities, corporations, and schools.
He profiles key figures like Herbert Marcuse, Angela Davis, Paulo Freire, and Derrick Bell, showing how their ideas have profoundly influenced American culture.
The book argues that these activists aim to replace constitutional equality with a race-based redistribution system overseen by bureaucratic ‘diversity and inclusion’ officials.
Rufo’s work is both an historical analysis and a call to action against critical race theory and its implications on American society.
Faces at the Bottom of the Well
The Permanence of Racism
Derrick Bell
In this book, Derrick Bell uses allegories and historical examples, including the story 'The Space Traders,' to argue that racism is an integral and permanent part of American society.
Bell contends that African American struggles for equality are doomed to fail unless the majority of whites see their own well-being threatened by the status quo.
He calls on African Americans to abandon a misplaced faith in inevitable progress and instead create viable strategies to alleviate the burdens of racism.
The book is a pioneering contribution to critical race theory and remains essential reading on the problem of racism in America.
Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?
Eric Kaufmann
The Unprotected Class
Jeremy Carl
Identity
The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment
Francis Fukuyama
In this book, Francis Fukuyama analyzes the contemporary rise of identity politics and its impact on liberal democracy.
He argues that the desire for recognition of one's dignity is a fundamental human need and that this demand has been exploited by 'politics of resentment,' leading to the fragmentation of society into narrower identity groups.
Fukuyama discusses how economic modernization, social change, and the failure of the left to build broad solidarity have contributed to this phenomenon.
He proposes solutions such as national service, public education in civics, and the creation of inclusive national identities to counter the divisive effects of identity politics.
None
Heide Luthers
Why Liberalism Failed
Patrick J. Deneen
In 'Why Liberalism Failed,' Patrick J. Deneen critiques both classical liberalism (often called libertarianism) and progressive/modern liberalism.
He argues that liberalism has created contradictions such as fostering material inequality despite advocating for equal rights, discouraging civic commitments in favor of privatism, and giving rise to a comprehensive state system while pursuing individual autonomy.
Deneen contends that liberalism's success is generating its own failure, leading to issues like income inequality, cultural decline, atomization, and the erosion of freedoms.
The book examines the outcomes of the growth of the state, the construction of the free market, and the effects of technology on freedoms and culture.
Orientalism
Edward Said
In 'Orientalism,' Edward Said critiques the Western construction of the Orient as a place of mystery and exoticism.
He argues that Orientalism, as a discipline and worldview, is inherently tied to European imperialism and serves as a powerful instrument of domination.
Said examines how Western literature, academia, and politics have perpetuated colonialism and imperialism by creating and reinforcing stereotypes and myths about the East.
He traces the development of Orientalism from its roots in the 18th century to its contemporary implications, emphasizing the intimate relationship between knowledge and power and the need to challenge these dominant discourses.
White Fragility
Why It's so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
Michael Eric Dyson
Robin DiAngelo
María Enguix Tercero
The Identity Trap
A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time
Yascha Mounk
In The Identity Trap, Yascha Mounk provides a detailed analysis of the intellectual origins of 'wokeness' or 'identity synthesis,' tracing how postmodernism, postcolonialism, and critical race theory influenced this ideology.
He explains how these ideas, once marginal, gained significant influence in business, media, and government by 2020.
Mounk argues that the application of these ideas to areas such as education and public policy is counterproductive and that universal, humanist values are more effective in achieving true equality.
The book offers a balanced and analytical perspective on the appeal and limitations of identity-based politics, proposing an alternative rooted in liberal democracy's highest ideals.
A theory of justice
John Rawls
In 'A Theory of Justice,' John Rawls develops a moral theory of justice as fairness, which is an alternative to utilitarianism.
The theory is based on the social contract approach and uses the concept of the original position and the veil of ignorance to derive two principles of justice.
The first principle, the greatest equal liberty principle, ensures that each person has an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all.
The second principle, which includes the difference principle and the equal opportunity principle, states that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged and attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity.
Rawls's theory aims to reconcile liberty and equality in a well-ordered society.
The Coddling of the American Mind
Jonathan Haidt
Greg Lukianoff
The book explores how the ideas 'what doesn’t kill you makes you weaker,' 'always trust your feelings,' and 'life is a battle between good people and evil people' have become embedded in American culture.
These 'Great Untruths' contradict basic psychological principles and ancient wisdom, leading to a culture of safetyism that interferes with young people’s social, emotional, and intellectual development.
The authors investigate various social trends, including fearful parenting, the decline of unsupervised play, and the impact of social media, as well as changes on college campuses and the broader context of political polarization in America.
How to Be an Antiracist
Connor Cobley
The Third Awokening
A 12-Point Plan for Rolling Back Progressive Extremism
Eric Kaufmann
In this book, Eric Kaufmann argues that the 'woke' movement is not a transient phenomenon but a cultural revolution with deep roots in left-liberal ideology.
He contends that this movement has led to significant societal issues such as crime waves, educational decline, border chaos, and social division.
Kaufmann proposes that the only way to mitigate these effects is through the use of constitutional government power to steer institutions and schools back towards neutrality and classical liberalism.
He emphasizes the need for the conservative and moderate majority to prioritize cultural battles and win the war of ideas to preserve Western civilization.
Yascha Mounk and Eric Kaufmann also discuss "asymmetrical multiculturalism" and the global fertility crisis.
Eric Kaufmann is a professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham, where he directs the Centre for Heterodox Social Science. Kaufmann is the author of The Third Awokening (entitled Taboo in the UK), Whiteshift: Populism, Immigration and the Future of White Majorities, and Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?
In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Eric Kaufmann discuss why much of mainstream liberalism has become unmoored from its classical principles; how we can push back against identitarianism and move towards a non-zero-sum framework for interethnic relations; and whether (and how) humanity might reverse the global decline in fertility.
This transcript has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
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