Woke croaks: “peak woke” has passed

<p>Over the past decade <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/09/19/after-peak-woke-what-next?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=checksandbalance&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a form of wokeness</a> arose on the illiberal left, characterised by extreme pessimism about America and its capacity to make progress. <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/09/19/america-is-becoming-less-woke%20?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=checksandbalance&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Analysis by <em>The Economist</em></a><em> </em>of how influential these ideas are today finds that wokeness peaked in 2021-22 and has since receded. Why is America becoming less “woke”?&nbsp;</p><br /><p>John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by <em>The Economist</em>’s Ainslie Johnstone and Sacha Nauta, and Professor Musa al-Gharbi of Stony Brook University.</p><br /><p><br /></p><p><em>Transcripts of our podcasts are available via </em><a href="http://economist.com/podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>economist.com/podcasts</em></a></p><br /><p><em>&nbsp;</em></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcast-vt-3?utm_campaign=a.23acq_podcast&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence-checksandbalance-moneytalks-drumtower-babbage-editorspicks-worldinbrief-bossclass&amp;utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous.dr_nativereads_nonotebook-50offpodplus_sub&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners&amp;check=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcast-vt-3?utm_campaign=a.23acq_podcast&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence-checksandbalance-moneytalks-drumtower-babbage-editorspicks-worldinbrief-bossclass&amp;utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous.dr_nativereads_nonotebook-50offpodplus_sub&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners&amp;check=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://fcxpre.economist.com/s/article/How-can-I-listen-to-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video </em></a><em>explaining how to link your account.</em></p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>