This article originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Below is an excerpt from the article.
By Eric Kaufmann, May 16, 2025
The decline of woke isn’t merely a “vibe shift.” It marks the end of the 60-year rise of left-liberalism in American culture. We are entering a post-progressive era.
Woke refers to an ideology of equal outcomes and emotional-harm protection for minorities. It produced phenomena such as cancel culture, men in women’s spaces and the toppling of statues. It energized a suite of policies known as diversity, equity and inclusion, whose roots lie in older racial-sensitivity training and affirmative-action programs. It is now in retreat.
The Trump administration has rescinded executive orders on affirmative action and disparate impact that were more than 50 years old. Universities are no longer allowed to enforce broad, identity-based speech codes, many of which arose nearly four decades ago. Colleges have adopted institutional-neutrality policies and ended mandatory diversity statements. Corporations have cut back on DEI. Today’s anti-DEI mood is likely to outlast the current administration, reflecting a deeper shift in the culture…
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Eric Kaufmann is Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Third Awokening: A 12-Point Plan for Rolling Back Progressive Extremism and Whiteshift: Immigration, Populism and the Future of White Majorities. He is a Canadian, who received his undergrad at The University of Western Ontario, then his Masters and PhD from the London School of Economics. He has also written for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, Newsweek, National Review, New Statesman, and the Financial Times. He is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
