What is the “Wake culture” and why it is called that

The so -called culture woke (literally “awake”, but a more accurate translation could be “aware”) is today at the center of an intense public, political and academic debate: it is a social movement that promotes awareness and action against racial injustices, gender and social, often emphasizing the inclusive language el ‘Beware of minorities. On the one hand, its supporters see it as a necessary evolution of social justice, which brings greater equity and representation in the institutions; on the other, critics perceive it as a threat to freedom of expression and critical thinking, leading to phenomena such as the Cancel Culture el ‘self -censorship.

Birth of wokism: meaning and origins

The term “woke” was born in the African American culture of the 1930s as exhortation to remain “awake” in the face of social and racial injustices (Moten & Harney, 2013). In the 2000s, the concept returned to the limelight thanks to the movement Black Lives Matterto emphasize awareness on issues such as police brutality, systemic discrimination and gender inequalities (Taylor, 2016). It can be said that from the killing of George Floyd In 2020, the phenomenon of wokism took on a global dimension, influencing not only the public debate but also academic institutions, companies and government policies (Bonilla-Silva, 2021). Recently the concept of “Woke” has also been extended to wider social justice, for example the rights LGBTQ+the decolonization of culture and the so -called linguistic sensitivity that, for example, is expressed in the growing public attention towards what is called “inclusive language”: the use of neutral pronouns, expressions not characterized by male etc. The phenomenon of wokism It is certainly not free of criticism: some claim that it has turned into a form of coercive moralismthat is, that this kind of activism imposes one rigid adhesion to certain principles, without tolerating dissent or dialogue.

The theoretical and ideological roots of the movement

Wokism is based on ideas such as the Critical Race TheorytheIntersectionality and the Postmodernism:

• There Critical Race Theory: claims that racism is not only the product of individual attitudes, but one systemic structure incorporated into social and economic institutions.
• THEREntersectionality: is a concept introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989), highlights how the different ones forms of oppression (race, genre, class) yes Intersechino and amplifying each otherand therefore people can undergo more forms of discrimination at the same time and their disadvantage situations cannot be understood by looking at only a single aspect. For example, a black woman can be discriminated against both sex and breed, and these two discrimination do not simply add up, but intertwine and make her experience unique.
• The pOstmodernism and the DEcostructionism: They are based on the ideas of Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida who contributed to the criticism of dominant narratives and the challenge to traditional concepts of truth and objectivity. These thinkers inspired wokism because they taught to watch with suspected to dominant ideas and question The social structures that seem natural, but in reality they favor some groups at the expense of others.

According to Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay, these ideas have influenced a form of activism that emphasizes the language, representation and “deconstruction” of oppressive social structures. This perspective has led to greater attention to the symbolism and the words used in the public discourse, promoting awareness policies in the media and also in company programs.

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Criticisms of wokismo

We can summarize the criticisms made to the phenomenon and the wokist ideology as follows:

Identity essentialism and reduction of complexity. Wokism tends to see the identity (breed, genre, sexual orientation, class) as rigid categoriesleading to an essentialist vision of the individual, who is therefore defined only in relation to his belonging to an oppressed group or, vice versa, privileged. The Wake theory, therefore, would ignore the dynamics of individual agency (the possibilities of individual choice) and the complexities of social relations. In addition, Woke thought can reduce everything to a matter of oppressor and oppressedsimplifying social reality.

Moralism and social conformism. As we mentioned, some scholars point out that wokism can turn into a form of coercive moralism: in this perspective, anyone who questioned some aspects of the Wake ideology risks being labeled as reactionary or even “enemy” from the social justice. This would lead to dynamics of self -censorship And conformismwith negative effects on public debate and the ability to face complex issues with a critical approach.

Lack of structural and economic analysis. Many social scientists criticize wokism for his emphasis on cultural and symbolic issues, neglecting the economic and material structures producing inequality. For example, while wokism focuses on representation in the media And on inclusive language, a wider analysis may be missing on how the capitalism itself perpetuates inequalities. In this perspective, wokism ends up being compatible with the neoliberalismsince it promotes the change on an individual and symbolic level without questioning the economic system that generates injustice.

Universalism vs. cultural relativism. Wokism can be seen as a form of progressive ethnocentrismwhich imposes anwestern interpretation of social justice to different cultural contexts. For example, some traditional practices are automatically labeled as oppressive without an analysis of their meaning within local cultures.

Cancel Culture and the risk of social authoritarianism. Many see the Cancel Culture As an extreme consequence of wokism, in which people are boycotted or excluded from the public debate for expressing countercurrent opinions. This mechanism, although born with the aim of correcting historical injustices, can have authoritarian effects, eliminating dissent And reducing space for the pluralism of ideas.