Increased stratification and declining social mobility. A crisis of expertise. The rise of “populist” leaders. Heightened tensions around “identity politics.” Growing affective polarization. Political dealignments and realignments. These are not separate phenomena, they’re fronts in a broader struggle over which communities, stakeholders, lines of work, lifestyles and cultures are valued in contemporary society – and… Continue reading Book Announcement: Those People
Tag: Gender
LGBT Identity, Elites, and Inequality
Beginning in the period between the world wars, and accelerating over the last half-century, the global economic order and political sphere have been restructured to the benefit of a category of people I call “symbolic capitalists.” Who are symbolic capitalists? Folks who make a living from what they know, who they know, and how they’re known. People who work in fields… Continue reading LGBT Identity, Elites, and Inequality
How We Lived in NYC
Media outlets consistently publish pieces about symbolic capitalists who understand and describe themselves as poor, or struggling, or barely getting by, or broke (e.g. here, here, here)– often despite healthy six figure incomes and/or low expenses (because they’re childless and either single or partnered with someone who works and whose income supplements their own rather… Continue reading How We Lived in NYC
How Victimhood Became a Commodity
According to the prevailing narrative, it is a disadvantage to be non-white as compared to white. To be LGBTQ as compared to straight. To be a woman as compared to a man. To be a religious minority as opposed to a Christian. To be neurodivergent or disabled as compared to being neurotypical and able-bodied. Undergirding… Continue reading How Victimhood Became a Commodity
Academia’s Biggest Bias Isn’t Political or Ideological
In order to understand biases and exclusion in academe, it’s best to consider who comprises it. Professors, for instance, are overwhelmingly relatively affluent, urban and suburban whites who graduated with terminal degrees from the top programs in their fields. These kinds of folks don’t just dominate academia. They are the primary producers and consumers of most content produced in the “symbolic professions.”… Continue reading Academia’s Biggest Bias Isn’t Political or Ideological
We Have Never Been Woke: pre-orders now live
I am pleased to report that my first book, We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite, now has an official release date: October 8, 2024. Even better, hardcover editions are now available for preorder on Bookshop.org, Thriftbooks, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and through most other major retailers. You can also… Continue reading We Have Never Been Woke: pre-orders now live
U.S. College Professors Do Not Well-Represent the Rest of America
Tenured and tenure-track college professors are drawn from a narrow and idiosyncratic slice of society. Many backgrounds and perspectives are dramatically underrepresented in the academy. This gulf between the ivory tower and the rest of society undermines knowledge production, pedagogy, and public trust in experts and scientific claims. A new study published in Nature Human Behavior argues that, at its current rate of change,… Continue reading U.S. College Professors Do Not Well-Represent the Rest of America
The 2022 Midterms Results Should (But Won’t) Definitively Kill Disparaging Narratives About U.S. Voters
In the run-up to the 2022 midterms, a dominant narrative in mainstream media spaces was that Americans were on the cusp of throwing away democracy in order to save a few dollars on gas. Should Republicans lose, they would refuse to concede defeat. The legitimacy of the electoral results would be undermined by widespread conspiracy… Continue reading The 2022 Midterms Results Should (But Won’t) Definitively Kill Disparaging Narratives About U.S. Voters
Book Announcement: We Have Never Been Woke
I am thrilled to be able to officially announce that my book, We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite has been acquired by Princeton University Press and is slated for release on October 8, 2024. Huge shoutout to my agent, Andrew Stuart. Much love to PUP Executive Editor Meagan Levinson, who was… Continue reading Book Announcement: We Have Never Been Woke
The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous
American liberals often charge that Christians seem unusually preoccupied (even obsessed) with sex and sexuality, and have a bunch of strange hang-ups about marriage and family structure. Conservatives, meanwhile, argue that the “traditional family” lies at the core of Western Civilization, and that weakening foundational norms around sex, marriage, and child-rearing would likely have destabilizing… Continue reading The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous
Diversity is Important. Diversity-Related Training is Terrible.
In wake of George Floyd’s murder and the protests that followed, many colleges and universities have been rolling out new training requirements – often oriented towards reducing biases and encouraging people from high-status groups to ‘check their privilege.’ The explicit goal of these training programs is generally to help create a more positive and welcoming… Continue reading Diversity is Important. Diversity-Related Training is Terrible.
What Coronavirus Reveals About the Lifestyles of the Professional-Managerial Class
In New York City and throughout the country, the professional-managerial class is hunkered down and making the best of a bad situation: working remotely, enjoying time with their families, making sure their children stay up on their schoolwork, finding ways to work out, exercising self-care, and catching up on all the shows they’ve wanted to… Continue reading What Coronavirus Reveals About the Lifestyles of the Professional-Managerial Class
Positionality and Homogeneity in Social Research: Towards a Holistic Exploration
Callosal disconnection syndrome, more colloquially known as ‘split brain syndrome’ occurs when the connections between the left and right hemispheres of the brain are disrupted or severed. The condition often makes it difficult for people to fully access and synthesize various flows of information or to properly coordinate their actions. This is, perhaps, a perfect… Continue reading Positionality and Homogeneity in Social Research: Towards a Holistic Exploration
Against Reactionary and Myopic Approaches to Higher Ed Reform
“The appeal to ‘social justice’ has by now become the most widely used and most effective argument in political discussion. Almost every claim for government action on behalf of particular groups is made in its name, and if it can be made to appear that a certain measure is demanded by ‘social justice,’ opposition to… Continue reading Against Reactionary and Myopic Approaches to Higher Ed Reform
Resistance as Sacrifice: Towards an Ascetic Antiracism
This essay is part of a forthcoming special issue of Sociological Forum: “Resistance in the 21st Century.” Suggested citation: al-Gharbi, Musa (in press). “Resistance as Sacrifice: Towards an Ascetic Antiracism.” Sociological Forum. “Racism is both overt and covert. It takes two closely related forms…we call these individual racism and institutional racism… The second type… Continue reading Resistance as Sacrifice: Towards an Ascetic Antiracism
On the relationship between ideological and demographic diversity
It is often said that the academy is dominated by the left. There is certainly a sense in which that is true. In terms of ideological self-identification, for instance, students, faculty and administrators trend decisively left (in ascending order of political homogeneity). However, this narrative is also a bit simplistic. First, because ideological self-identification is… Continue reading On the relationship between ideological and demographic diversity
On the Sokal Squared/ Grievance Studies Hoax
Over the past year, Helen Pluckrose, James Lindsay & Peter Boghossian published a series of hoax papers in humanities journals oriented towards the “critical study” of gender and sexuality. Their plot was discovered midway through, forcing them to go public prematurely. In a journal-length essay explaining their methods, findings, and intentions, “Academic Grievance Studies and… Continue reading On the Sokal Squared/ Grievance Studies Hoax
Gender Differences, Silicon Valley and that Controversial Google Memo
Google software engineer James Damore set off a firestorm with the publication of a company memo titled “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber.” The essay criticized Google’s policies for promoting a more diverse and inclusive workplace, alleging that they instead fostered a company culture of fear and conformity which runs contrary to the company’s stated ethos–and likely… Continue reading Gender Differences, Silicon Valley and that Controversial Google Memo
Progressives, Vulnerable Groups Most in Need of Campus Free Speech Protections
Harvard President Drew Faust gave a ringing endorsement of free speech in her recent 2017 commencement address. There was, however, one passage where Faust chose to focus on the price of Harvard’s commitment to free speech, arguing that it “is paid disproportionately by” those students who don’t fit the traditional profile of being “white, male,… Continue reading Progressives, Vulnerable Groups Most in Need of Campus Free Speech Protections
An Emerging Democratic Majority? Don’t Count on It.
“What is at stake in the conflict over representations of the future is nothing other than the attitude of the declining classes to their decline—either demoralization, which leads to a rout….or mobilization, which leads to the collective search for a collective solution to the crisis.What can make the difference is, fundamentally, the possession of… Continue reading An Emerging Democratic Majority? Don’t Count on It.
Who Cares About Bernie Sanders’ Historic Candidacy?
In March 2016, the Green Party nominated Dr. Jill Stein as their candidate for President of the United States. They have had female vice-presidential nominees on every single ticket since 1996, and ran all-female tickets in 2008 and 2012. But unfortunately, the highest the Green Party has ever performed in a general election was in… Continue reading Who Cares About Bernie Sanders’ Historic Candidacy?
Epistemological Pluralism, Cognitive Liberalism & Authentic Choice
Originally published in Comparative Philosophy, Vol. VII, No. 2 (Fall 2016) Print version available here. In “Perfectionist Liberalism and Political Liberalism,” Martha Nussbaum (2011) persuasively argues that political liberalism is superior to its perfectionist cousin. However, her critique of perfectionism also problematizes Rawls’ account of political liberalism—particularly as it relates to his account of… Continue reading Epistemological Pluralism, Cognitive Liberalism & Authentic Choice
What Was Accomplished in Afghanistan?
The U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan was justified in large part by highlighting the plight of women under Taliban governance. Within the first weeks of the campaign, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Cherie Blair helped spearhead a highly-effective propaganda effort to convince the public that the U.S. and the U.K. were engaged in a moral war—one… Continue reading What Was Accomplished in Afghanistan?
Forget the Islamic State, Focus on the United States
America’s War on Sexual Violence, Mass Atrocities & Religious Persecution Should Begin at Home Without question, the so-called “Islamic State” is an abomination that should be wiped from the face of the earth. However, it is unclear whether America is the right agent to see this through. Part of the trouble relates to the Obama Administration’s strategy, which… Continue reading Forget the Islamic State, Focus on the United States
Universal Values v. Universal Laws
The liberal notion of universal law derives its supposed normative force from an ill-defined notion of universal values. This notion of universality is tied conceptually and historically to Western imperialism—and many of the values taken to be “universal” are not. But even if, for the sake of argument, we presupposed the existence of some set of… Continue reading Universal Values v. Universal Laws