This course traces the development of wokeness, or identity politics, in America. Wokeness primarily grows out of the black nationalist, Black Power, and women’s liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s. While it has not fully conquered the public’s mind, it does reign almost unchallenged among the elites, all of whom worship at the altar of diversity. Is the triumph of identity politics good for American democracy? Or does identity politics pose a grave threat to republican self-government by corroding patriotic ties and demanding special treatment rather than equality under the law?

This course is supported by Judy Fleischer, as part of the Fleischer Forum initiative on American civilization.