In a provocative New York Times piece last November, Columbia University professor Mark Lilla criticized the Democratic party for losing the election because of its hyper focus on identity politics. Lilla wrote that the left was so focused on diversity and “moral panic about racial, gender and sexual identity,” that it “distorted liberalism’s message and prevented it from becoming a unifying force.” The op-ed has now become a book: “The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics.” Lilla joins us to discuss his theories and lay out the case for a “post-identity liberalism.”
Guests:
Mark Lilla, professer of humanities, department of history, Columbia University; author, “The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics”
Mentioned on Air:
- The End of Identity Liberalism
- (New York Times)
- The First White President (The Atlantic)
- Sociologist Arlie Hochschild Seeks to Understand Conservative America (Forum archives)