What is the "Great Awokening"?
The "Great Awokening" refers to a significant shift in American racial politics, particularly among white liberals, who have moved sharply to the left on issues of race and racism since around 2014, driven by events like the Ferguson protests.
Understanding the Great Awokening
This phenomenon, termed the "Great Awokening," marks a rapid and profound change in attitudes toward racial inequality and systemic racism, primarily among white Democrats. According to polling data, this shift began to gain momentum following the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after the death of Michael Brown, an event that was amplified by social media and digital video, exposing a national audience to issues of police brutality and racial injustice in a visceral way. This moment is seen as a catalyst, with white liberals increasingly expressing concern over racial discrimination and embracing diversity and immigration, often positioning themselves to the left of even the typical black voter on these issues[1]. The change is likened to the religious fervor in the white North before the American Civil War, indicating its deep cultural and ideological impact[1].
The discourse around the Great Awokening also highlights a paradox: as white liberals became more vocal about racial inequality, more racially conservative Democrats left the party, contributing to Donald Trump's 2016 electoral victory. This suggests a backlash where Trump's rhetoric made white racial resentment more visible, while simultaneously, white liberals became more attuned to systemic racism, not necessarily because the prevalence of racism had increased, but because their perceptions and attitudes had shifted[1]. Political scientists note that this change predates Trump's presidency and was influenced by elite cues from Democratic leaders, such as Barack Obama's comments on Trayvon Martin and Hillary Clinton's discussions of systemic racism during her 2016 campaign[1].
Public Discourse and Diverse Perspectives
Public discourse on the Great Awokening is multifaceted, with various scholars and commentators offering differing interpretations of its origins and implications. Some, like Eric Kaufmann, frame this shift as part of a broader cultural movement, which he calls "The Third Awokening," rooted in a left-liberal anti-racism taboo that emerged in the mid-1960s. Kaufmann argues that this taboo, initially focused on race, has expanded to other identity issues, eroding freedoms and national identities while promoting a hypersensitivity to microaggressions through incremental cultural shifts[3][4]. He suggests that the ideology remains dominant despite some pushback and predicts its persistence due to generational replacement, with younger, more progressive cohorts likely to uphold these values as they gain influence[4].
Others, such as Nathan Cofnas, critique the ideological underpinnings of what he terms "wokism," which he sees as closely tied to the Great Awokening. Cofnas argues that wokism stems from a widely accepted "equality thesis" — the belief that innate cognitive abilities are distributed equally across races and sexes — which he claims is intellectually incoherent when applied to persistent disparities. He posits that smart individuals are drawn to wokism because it offers a more consistent explanation for social issues compared to conservative ideologies, which he believes fail to attract intellectual elites due to their own inconsistencies[2].
In contrast, perspectives like those reviewed in Aporia Magazine emphasize the historical roots of wokeness in black radicalism during the Civil Rights era, viewing the Great Awokening as a culmination of a bottom-up process driven by liberal elite guilt and compassion rather than top-down academic or legal impositions. This view differs from theories that attribute wokeness to critical race theory or civil rights law, suggesting instead a cultural evolution that has sustained itself even when legal pressures waned[3].
Implications and Ongoing Debate
The implications of the Great Awokening for American politics are complex. While it has inspired a significant minority of white Americans to recognize systemic racism as a fundamental issue, potentially paving the way for sweeping policy changes, the short-term electoral landscape remains influenced by older, more conservative demographics less affected by this ideological shift[1]. Mainstream Democratic leaders have increasingly adopted an institutional understanding of racism, with figures like Beto O’Rourke and Elizabeth Warren openly criticizing systemic issues in capitalism and criminal justice, reflecting how embedded these views have become within the party[1].
However, the discourse also reveals tensions. Kaufmann advocates for active state intervention to enforce neutrality in institutions and counter what he sees as progressive extremism, warning against the risks of unchecked cultural socialism[3][4]. Cofnas, on the other hand, calls for a philosophical challenge to the equality thesis as a means to attract intellectual elites away from wokism, framing the right's inability to do so as a strategic failure[2]. These differing approaches underscore a broader debate on whether the Great Awokening represents a progressive evolution or a cultural overreach that threatens social cohesion and individual freedoms.
Sources
- [1] Yglesias, Matthew. "The Great Awokening: A hidden shift is revolutionizing American racial politics — and could transform the future of the Democratic Party." Vox, April 1, 2019. (https://www.vox.com/2019/3/22/18259865/great-awokening-white-liberals-race-polling-trump-2020) - This source describes the Great Awokening as a significant leftward shift among white liberals on racial issues since 2014, driven by events like Ferguson, and discusses its political implications and paradoxes.
- [2] Cofnas, Nathan. "Why We Need to Talk about the Right’s Stupidity Problem." Nathan Cofnas’s Newsletter, January 2, 2024. (https://ncofnas.com/p/why-we-need-to-talk-about-the-rights) - This source critiques wokism, linked to the Great Awokening, as stemming from the equality thesis, arguing it attracts intellectuals due to its coherence compared to conservative ideologies.
- [3] Carl, Noah. "Review of 'The Third Awokening' by Eric Kaufmann." Aporia Magazine, June 25, 2024. (https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/review-of-the-third-awokening-by) - This review outlines Kaufmann’s perspective on the Great Awokening as part of a broader cultural shift rooted in the 1960s anti-racism taboo, advocating for interventionist strategies to counter wokeness.
- [4] Kaufmann, Eric. "My New Book is Out!" Eric Kaufmann’s Substack, May 21, 2024. (https://erickaufmann.substack.com/p/my-new-book-is-out) - Kaufmann elaborates on the Great Awokening as "The Third Awokening," detailing its cultural impact, generational dynamics, and proposing a plan to rebalance societal values through political intervention.