Left is not Woke

Abstract

"In the United States as in other countries, many people genuinely concerned to right historical wrongs have woven together an ideology often called “the woke left.” I will argue that this ideology is not, in fact, genuinely leftist, as it challenges many of the crucial ideas that have traditionally been central to all leftwing movements. I will argue for a new understanding of ideas of solidarity, justice and progress that have their roots in the much-maligned Enlightenment, and discuss how those ideas might be applicable today."