On Tuesday, October 8, the School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ) will host a conversation titled “We were promised social justice. We got symbolic gestures. Why ‘wokeness’ can’t deliver the goods,” featuring Musa al-Gharbi, assistant professor of communication and journalism.
The talk coincides with the release of al-Gharbi’s book, "We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite," which will be available in bookstores on the day of the event.
In his book, al-Gharbi examines what he terms “symbolic capitalists,” individuals who sustain their livelihoods through ideas, technical skills, and social prestige. This group includes journalists, academics, bureaucrats, consultants, artists, among others. He notes that many of these professions are oriented towards altruism and serving the common good.
“Symbolic capitalists” are often those who identify as antiracists, feminists, environmentalists or allies to LGBTQ+ people. Despite gaining more power over the past half-century, al-Gharbi argues that many social problems have worsened due to their behaviors and lifestyles.
“My hope, in putting together this book and in hosting this conversation, is that we may start to see something new and important that we otherwise wouldn’t have,” said al-Gharbi. “The goal is to sharpen the contradiction between symbolic capitalists’ expressed positions with respect to feminism, antiracism and LGBTQ rights now how they behave in the world. By folding ourselves and our allies into the analytical picture, we can get a much richer understanding of how social problems arise and persist, and what can be done about them.”
Al-Gharbi highlights contradictions within this elite class' vocal support for social justice while maintaining actions that uphold the status quo. He also includes himself in his analysis for a self-reflective approach.
“Musa’s thoughtful and deep analysis of the contradictions between expressed ideas and behaviors of this new class of elites including academics is already sparking conversations in media on college campuses and in other places social capitalists gather,” said Laura Lindenfeld, dean of SoCJ and executive director of the Alda Center for Communicating Science. “I eagerly await the Stony Brook conversation and hope it will be as inspiring as Musa’s book itself.”
The event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the event.
This event is sponsored by SoCJ along with Stony Brook Office of Diversity Inclusion Intercultural Initiatives (DI3).