Musa Al-Gharbi, a Sierra Vista native and Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University, is set to release his book 'We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite' in October 2023. This book examines the evolving views on inequality among America's cultural elite and the implications of these beliefs on society. Al-Gharbi highlights a significant shift since the 1980s towards knowledge professions, such as journalism, law, and technology, where professionals increasingly frame their work in terms of public service and altruism [8d95b54d].
In a related discussion, Michael Sean Winters in the National Catholic Reporter reviews James Davison Hunter's book 'Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America's Political Crisis'. Winters summarizes Hunter's analysis of the cultural landscape of America, noting the marginalization of religion in cultural politics post-Civil War. Hunter attributes the intensification of culture wars to several factors, including the collapse of Communism, the success of the gay rights movement, and the economic meltdown of 2008. He critiques the therapeutic turn of identity politics and the embrace of bourgeois values by progressives, identifying a comprehensive epistemic crisis marked by skepticism and doubt [e53b04ed].
Furthermore, Eric Foner's article in the London Review of Books emphasizes the need for new national myths to address America's current political and cultural malaise. Foner references historian Richard Slotkin's argument that the crisis is rooted in a lack of unifying national myths. He discusses how foundational myths, such as the Myth of the Frontier, have shaped American identity and contributed to societal divisions. Slotkin suggests that a new liberal national myth focused on equality and social justice could inspire a renewed sense of national purpose, although historians have largely focused on the rise of reactionary conservatism instead of creating new myths [ddcfe675].