We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite
Musa al-Gharbi is a sociologist and assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University. His research primarily focuses on the political economy of knowledge production and the social life of scholarly and journalistic outputs. He is a columnist for The Guardian, and his writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and more. al-Gharbi’s first book, We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite, was published by Princeton University Press in October 2024.
In We Have Never Been Woke, al-Gharbi suggests how a new “woke” elite uses the language of social justice to gain more power and status—without helping the marginalized and disadvantaged. A powerful critique, the book reveals that only by challenging this elite’s self-serving narratives can we hope to address social and economic inequality effectively. At this Humanities Without Boundaries talk, al-Gharbi will discuss his process in writing the book, the revelations it surfaces, and the actions we can collectively take. (You can also register for a “Breakfast Book Talk” with al-Gharbi on Friday, Feb. 28.) The event is presented in partnership with the Havens Wright Center for Social Justice.
Note: You are not required to read the book to attend this event. However, you can access a preview of the book via Princeton University Press or download a copy from UW-Madison Libraries.
Princeton University Press writes, “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.”
Part of the 2025 Center for the Humanities Civics Lab, these events—supported by the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship & Civil Dialogue (WICCD)—aim to identify key factors and strategies to foster civil dialogue about critical and contentious issues like academic freedom and the role of universities in political life.