"Taboo: Liberalism, not Cultural Marxism, Explains Woke" – Prof. Eric Kaufmann
Wed 28 Feb 2024 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Brockway Room, Conway Hall, WC1R 4RL
Description
Location: Brockway Room, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL
Date & Time: Wednesday, 28th February 2024, 7:30pm to 9:30pm (doors open at 7:00pm)
Format: ~45-60 mins talk, ~30 mins Q&A, followed by drinks & conversation
Please note that the talk will begin promptly at 7:30pm, and we strongly urge attendees arrive by 7:15pm, as latecomers may not be admitted.
Directions to the Brockway Room will be signposted at the entrance to Conway Hall.
Speaker
Eric Kaufmann is Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham (formerly at Birkbeck, University of London). He is the author of the acclaimed 2018 book Whiteshift: Immigration, Populism and the Future of White Majorities, among others. His upcoming book, Taboo: How Making Race Sacred Produced a Cultural Revolution, is due to be published in May of this year. He has also written for The Telegraph, The New Statesman, The Critic, City Journal, UnHerd, and Quillette.
Topic
Taboo: Liberalism, not Cultural Marxism, Explains Woke
Woke is the sacralisation of historically marginalised race, gender and sexual identity groups, and woke cultural socialism seeks equal outcomes and emotional harm protection for such groups. ‘Microaggressions’, trigger warnings, ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ initiatives – this movement’s many manifestations make it impossible to ignore today. This talk, foreshadowing arguments made in Eric’s new book, Taboo, argues that it is modern liberalism, not post-Marxist radicalism, that holds the key to understanding the woke phenomenon. The ongoing rise of woke is about incremental guilt- and compassion-driven ratcheting, not utopian revolution. For this reason, admonishing elite institutions about cancel culture and neo-Marxist radicalism will not stop the juggernaut. The post-2021 retreat from peak woke has been partial, and if history is a guide, it will be followed by a consolidation phase before the next surge. Woke will be carried forth by indoctrinated new generations and can only be stopped by deconstructing the left-liberal taboos and myths which underpin the hegemonic ideology of our time.
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Location
Brockway Room, Conway Hall, WC1R 4RL