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k0rnbr34d's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Great overview and analysis of the academic lineage of “social justice” as we know the term today. I can imagine those who are more well-read on these topics may have better criticisms of the authors’ work, but for me it was just right. When I went to graduate school for secondary English education, we read many of the postmodern papers and authors that are mentioned here. We spent day after day going over social justice in the classroom, LGBT rights, racism in schools, that we barely received actual training for how to teach, which is a very difficult job. I lost faith in all of this over the course of my time in that program and when I later taught and could not figure out how to teach disadvantage youths to read. I knew how to advocate for them, but not do the needed work. So there ya go.
It was cathartic to hear someone take down Foucault so many times in one book lmao. If your knee jerk reaction to this book’s title or summary involves suspecting that the author is racist or right wing or a terf, it would benefit you to check it out. I long for a political left that allows discussion again. It hurts me to care but have the threat of cancellation constantly hanging over me. I can’t stop thinking about these topics lately.
It was cathartic to hear someone take down Foucault so many times in one book lmao. If your knee jerk reaction to this book’s title or summary involves suspecting that the author is racist or right wing or a terf, it would benefit you to check it out. I long for a political left that allows discussion again. It hurts me to care but have the threat of cancellation constantly hanging over me. I can’t stop thinking about these topics lately.
bristoni74's review
3.0
Fascinating book and I learnt a lot, but I think I was wanting more social commentary (if the whole book had expanded on Chapter 9 Social Justice in Action I would have rated this book higher). It is very academic in parts, although having said that it was interesting to learn about postmodernism, it’s history and how it has influenced theory about race, gender, disability, etc. particularly in American colleges and universities and its flow on effect into Western society.
I find it disheartening (and it’s why I’m not on twitter, tick-tock and have recently deactivated my FB account) because my feeds are increasingly filled with those with very little or no knowledge about a subject questioning every subject matter expert there is and accusing them of being “sell-outs”, unethical, corrupt or evil. Even trying to step outside of the echo chambers that the algorithm feeds (by following those who don’t have the same political beliefs as me (centrist – although more centre left) has left me disheartened and at times quite down.
Not only have the right been hi-jacked by ultra-conservatives, but I feel the left has been hi-jacked by increasingly zealous activists who reject critical thinking, or objective facts if it doesn’t fit a particular political or social justice position. Science and health has become increasingly politicised (and we see that with Covid-19) and its sad to think academics who put forward alternative views can have their careers destroyed and are now afraid to publish for fear “of offending people”.
I particularly liked and highlighted the section below from the book as I agree that “moderates” and those from the centre-left or right don’t speak-up for fear of being the target of a witch-hunt and so increasingly the extremes of both sides hi-jack social media feeds and sell opinions as “news” and "facts" because of the 24/7 click-bait news cycle.
"Social justice has taken such pains to establish absolute hegemony over the discourses relevant to these issues – especially in the left and in the centre – other reasonable and moderate voices are least likely to enter the conversation with reasonable and moderate alternatives. This leaves only those with the most extreme voices to speak up against Social Justice……."
If anyone has in interest in this area, I would definitely recommend this book, but I would like to see a book published that is more accessible with a focus on the social implications of critical theory.
I find it disheartening (and it’s why I’m not on twitter, tick-tock and have recently deactivated my FB account) because my feeds are increasingly filled with those with very little or no knowledge about a subject questioning every subject matter expert there is and accusing them of being “sell-outs”, unethical, corrupt or evil. Even trying to step outside of the echo chambers that the algorithm feeds (by following those who don’t have the same political beliefs as me (centrist – although more centre left) has left me disheartened and at times quite down.
Not only have the right been hi-jacked by ultra-conservatives, but I feel the left has been hi-jacked by increasingly zealous activists who reject critical thinking, or objective facts if it doesn’t fit a particular political or social justice position. Science and health has become increasingly politicised (and we see that with Covid-19) and its sad to think academics who put forward alternative views can have their careers destroyed and are now afraid to publish for fear “of offending people”.
I particularly liked and highlighted the section below from the book as I agree that “moderates” and those from the centre-left or right don’t speak-up for fear of being the target of a witch-hunt and so increasingly the extremes of both sides hi-jack social media feeds and sell opinions as “news” and "facts" because of the 24/7 click-bait news cycle.
"Social justice has taken such pains to establish absolute hegemony over the discourses relevant to these issues – especially in the left and in the centre – other reasonable and moderate voices are least likely to enter the conversation with reasonable and moderate alternatives. This leaves only those with the most extreme voices to speak up against Social Justice……."
If anyone has in interest in this area, I would definitely recommend this book, but I would like to see a book published that is more accessible with a focus on the social implications of critical theory.
irisirae's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.0
"Disagreement is often regarded as, at best, a failure to have engaged with the scholarship correctly, as though engagement must imply acceptance, and, at worst, a profound moral failure."
gidopolitiek's review
5.0
4,5*
Highly interesting and important read. However, could be repetitive at times and should be taken with a grain of salt (as one should do with most books). It is important to keep in mind, as the book itself states at the very end, that we should listen and consider first, rather than using this knowledge to immediately discredit the (‘Social Justice’, as the book calls it) beliefs of others.
Highly interesting and important read. However, could be repetitive at times and should be taken with a grain of salt (as one should do with most books). It is important to keep in mind, as the book itself states at the very end, that we should listen and consider first, rather than using this knowledge to immediately discredit the (‘Social Justice’, as the book calls it) beliefs of others.
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