We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite
How a new “woke” elite uses the language of social justice to gain more power and status-without helping the marginalized and disadvantaged

Society has never been more egalitarian-in theory. Prejudice is taboo, and diversity is strongly valued. At the same time, social and economic inequality have exploded. In We Have Never Been Woke, Musa al-Gharbi argues that these trends are closely related, each tied to the rise of a new elite-the symbolic capitalists. In education, media, nonprofits, and beyond, members of this elite work primarily with words, ideas, images, and data, and are very likely to identify as allies of antiracist, feminist, LGBTQ, and other progressive causes. Their dominant ideology is “wokeness” and, while their commitment to equality is sincere, they actively benefit from and perpetuate the inequalities they decry. Indeed, their egalitarian credentials help them gain more power and status, often at the expense of the marginalized and disadvantaged.

We Have Never Been Woke details how the language of social justice is increasingly used to justify this elite-and to portray the losers in the knowledge economy as deserving their lot because they think or say the “wrong” things about race, gender, and sexuality. Al-Gharbi's point is not to accuse symbolic capitalists of hypocrisy or cynicism. Rather, he examines how their genuine beliefs prevent them from recognizing how they contribute to social problems-or how their actions regularly provoke backlash against the social justice causes they champion.

A powerful critique, We Have Never Been Woke reveals that only by challenging this elite's self-serving narratives can we hope to address social and economic inequality effectively.

“In this important and timely book, Musa al-Gharbi describes the rise of the `symbolic capitalists,' and how an ideology has evolved to cement their power and restrict entry from outsiders. We Have Never Been Woke effectively addresses a wide readership on this contentious issue.”-Tyler Cowen, George Mason University
1145317792
We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite
How a new “woke” elite uses the language of social justice to gain more power and status-without helping the marginalized and disadvantaged

Society has never been more egalitarian-in theory. Prejudice is taboo, and diversity is strongly valued. At the same time, social and economic inequality have exploded. In We Have Never Been Woke, Musa al-Gharbi argues that these trends are closely related, each tied to the rise of a new elite-the symbolic capitalists. In education, media, nonprofits, and beyond, members of this elite work primarily with words, ideas, images, and data, and are very likely to identify as allies of antiracist, feminist, LGBTQ, and other progressive causes. Their dominant ideology is “wokeness” and, while their commitment to equality is sincere, they actively benefit from and perpetuate the inequalities they decry. Indeed, their egalitarian credentials help them gain more power and status, often at the expense of the marginalized and disadvantaged.

We Have Never Been Woke details how the language of social justice is increasingly used to justify this elite-and to portray the losers in the knowledge economy as deserving their lot because they think or say the “wrong” things about race, gender, and sexuality. Al-Gharbi's point is not to accuse symbolic capitalists of hypocrisy or cynicism. Rather, he examines how their genuine beliefs prevent them from recognizing how they contribute to social problems-or how their actions regularly provoke backlash against the social justice causes they champion.

A powerful critique, We Have Never Been Woke reveals that only by challenging this elite's self-serving narratives can we hope to address social and economic inequality effectively.

“In this important and timely book, Musa al-Gharbi describes the rise of the `symbolic capitalists,' and how an ideology has evolved to cement their power and restrict entry from outsiders. We Have Never Been Woke effectively addresses a wide readership on this contentious issue.”-Tyler Cowen, George Mason University
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We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite

We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite

by Musa al-Gharbi

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Unabridged — 14 hours, 34 minutes

We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite

We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite

by Musa al-Gharbi

Narrated by Not Yet Available

Unabridged — 14 hours, 34 minutes

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Overview

How a new “woke” elite uses the language of social justice to gain more power and status-without helping the marginalized and disadvantaged

Society has never been more egalitarian-in theory. Prejudice is taboo, and diversity is strongly valued. At the same time, social and economic inequality have exploded. In We Have Never Been Woke, Musa al-Gharbi argues that these trends are closely related, each tied to the rise of a new elite-the symbolic capitalists. In education, media, nonprofits, and beyond, members of this elite work primarily with words, ideas, images, and data, and are very likely to identify as allies of antiracist, feminist, LGBTQ, and other progressive causes. Their dominant ideology is “wokeness” and, while their commitment to equality is sincere, they actively benefit from and perpetuate the inequalities they decry. Indeed, their egalitarian credentials help them gain more power and status, often at the expense of the marginalized and disadvantaged.

We Have Never Been Woke details how the language of social justice is increasingly used to justify this elite-and to portray the losers in the knowledge economy as deserving their lot because they think or say the “wrong” things about race, gender, and sexuality. Al-Gharbi's point is not to accuse symbolic capitalists of hypocrisy or cynicism. Rather, he examines how their genuine beliefs prevent them from recognizing how they contribute to social problems-or how their actions regularly provoke backlash against the social justice causes they champion.

A powerful critique, We Have Never Been Woke reveals that only by challenging this elite's self-serving narratives can we hope to address social and economic inequality effectively.

“In this important and timely book, Musa al-Gharbi describes the rise of the `symbolic capitalists,' and how an ideology has evolved to cement their power and restrict entry from outsiders. We Have Never Been Woke effectively addresses a wide readership on this contentious issue.”-Tyler Cowen, George Mason University

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Longlisted for the Non-Obvious Book Awards

"[We Have Never Been Woke] announces [al-Gharbi] as a rising intellectual star."—-David Brooks, New York Times

"If you want to understand what just happened in the [2024] US election, it [We Have Never Been Woke] is one of the more useful starting points."—-Kenan Malik, Observer

"Illuminating.... For anyone genuinely curious about why working-class, culturally conservative Americans, many of them evangelical Christians, remain so loyal to Trump, We Have Never Been Woke is required reading. In a book that’s both granular in its detail and panoramic in its perspective, al-Gharbi builds a tightly argued case for how the “Great Awokening” is neither particularly novel nor particularly helpful to the marginalized and disenfranchised of American society."—-Carrie McKean, Christianity Today

"A necessary corrective to the hackneyed discourse around wealth and privilege that has obtained since 2008."—-Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic

"One of the most historically rigorous and empirically grounded investigations of “wokeness” we have.... Encyclopedic in breath, and painstakingly in-depth, We Have Never Been Woke establishes al-Gharbi as one of the most insightful and provocative sociologists of his generation."—-Adam Szetela, Washington Post

"A book I’ve been waiting for someone to write for a long time…a damn good book."—-Jesse Singal, Blocked and Reported

"Sprawling, ambitious, and perceptive...We Have Never Been Woke...raises too many provocative questions and gores too many oxen across the political spectrum to let anybody feel very complacent. It’s a highly erudite book, idiosyncratically straddling the line between an academic publication and a broader interest page-turner, that, at its sharpest, transcends all of the citations and footnotes to achieve a pungent first-person sociological and psychological clarity."—-Jesse Adams, Washington Examiner

"We Have Never Been Woke is a great book on wokeness, probably the most incisive and interesting one that’s been written. It also holds appeal as a work on political beliefs, as a work of political sociology, and as an incredibly well-sourced piece of cultural criticism. It is very much worth reading."—-Oliver Traldi, City Journal

"A brilliant, rare academic book."—-Sarah Baxter, The Standard

"[Al-Gharbi is] the Alexis de Tocqueville of this moment."—-Frank Schaeffer, In Conversation...with Frank Schaeffer

In Conversation...With Frank Schaeffer

"[al-Gharbi is] the Alexis de Tocqueville of this moment."

Library Journal

09/01/2024

Sociologist al-Gharbi, a columnist for The Guardian, debuts with a book that sets the goal of sociologically answering whether any of the "awokening" movements—four in the modern century—have actually changed, impacted, or improved the lives of their target audiences. Al-Gharbi's main argument is consistently focused on symbolic capital and symbolic professions, asserting that a movement's affluent, well-educated, white members benefit the most. He asserts that the current social justice movement began with Occupy Wall Street, not Trump's election to the presidency. He explores the evolution of terms, going from "politically correct" to "woke," for example, and he expounds upon public beliefs vs. private behavior, including the common defense that people want to be on the "right side" of history. Each of the movements is examined in detail and includes strong examples of the disconnect within each one. The impacts of race, gender, class, and consumerism are all explored with relevant historical context and modern examples from companies such as Uber, Grubhub, and Amazon. VERDICT A sharp, well-researched critique aimed at politically active readers who want to better understand why people believe what they believe.—Tina Panik

Product Details

BN ID: 2940192814994
Publisher: Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date: 10/08/2024
Edition description: Unabridged
Sales rank: 601,624
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