YouTube version: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc-W9IMOv8Y

Inaugural talk of Modern Dissent series, given by Prof. Eric Kaufmann on Wednesday, 28th February 2024 in London

00:00:00 Introduction00:01:56 Lecture01:09:22 Q&A

Apologies for the audio clipping and the last few questions not getting included. We're still learning with AV, and future recordings are sure to be better!

# Speaker

*Eric Kaufmann* is Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham (formerly at Birkbeck, University of London). He is the author of the acclaimed 2018 book *Whiteshift: Immigration, Populism and the Future of White Majorities*, among others. His upcoming book, *Taboo: How Making Race Sacred Produced a Cultural Revolution*, is due to be published in May of this year. He has also written for The Telegraph, The New Statesman, The Critic, City Journal, UnHerd, and Quillette.

# Topic

*Taboo: Liberalism, not Cultural Marxism, Explains Woke*

_Woke is the sacralisation of historically marginalised race, gender and sexual identity groups, and woke cultural socialism seeks equal outcomes and emotional harm protection for such groups. ‘Microaggressions’, trigger warnings, ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ initiatives – this movement’s many manifestations make it impossible to ignore today. This talk, foreshadowing arguments made in Eric’s new book, Taboo, argues that it is modern liberalism, not post-Marxist radicalism, that holds the key to understanding the woke phenomenon. The ongoing rise of woke is about incremental guilt- and compassion-driven ratcheting, not utopian revolution. For this reason, admonishing elite institutions about cancel culture and neo-Marxist radicalism will not stop the juggernaut. The post-2021 retreat from peak woke has been partial, and if history is a guide, it will be followed by a consolidation phase before the next surge. Woke will be carried forth by indoctrinated new generations and can only be stopped by deconstructing the left-liberal taboos and myths which underpin the hegemonic ideology of our time._