Why Liberal Confessions?
The dual shocks of Trumpism on the right and Wokeism (a.k.a. post-liberal progressivism) on the left shattered my faith in the progressive liberal paradigm I used to believe in. This was a shocking, confusing, and dislocating experience, more like an identity crisis than a simple shift of political perspective.
Consequently, I started obsessively reflecting on questions such as: What, exactly, were the core commitments of the progressive liberalism I used to identify with so strongly? How has my experience of political identification and disillusionment been shaped by larger socio-historical forces? And have I really lost faith in progressive liberal values as such — or simply in the leaders, institutions, and narratives that claim to represent them?
In the process of trying to answer these and other related questions, I’ve found myself returning repeatedly to the following general themes:
Most progressives don’t want to admit that liberalism is in crisis, let alone reflect critically on why that’s the case.
Those of us who care about liberal values need to take the most incisive criticisms of liberalism from both the left and the right much more seriously.
Salvaging the best of the left-liberal tradition requires incorporating those commitments into a more diversified project of democratic pluralism.
Readers can expect these themes to thread through the work shared on this Substack. If this sounds interesting, please subscribe!
About Me
I’m an independent writer interested in the intersection of politics, culture, and spirituality. I’ve worked as a political science professor, policy researcher, nonprofit leader, and yoga teacher/writer/trainer. I’m also the author or editor of five books, as well as many popular articles and professional reports.
Back in the 1990s, my academic work focused on the mutually constitutive relationship among competing conceptions of race, class, and equality in American political culture. After leaving academia to start a family, I spent a decade doing applied research on programs designed to support low-income children and families. After that, I took a deep dive into the yoga and mindfulness worlds as an independent writer, teacher, and trainer focused on how these practices could synthesize positive processes of individual and social change.
Now, I’m revisiting the broad issues of liberalism and American political culture that fascinated me as a grad student and political science professor back in the 1980s-90s — this time, however, as an independent writer who’s not beholden to the strictures of academia and has lots more life experience besides. In so doing, I intend to cross boundaries and mix genres (personal/analytical, etc.) in creative and constructive ways, while remaining committed to a flexible yet strong set of democratic values.
New on Substack: Re/Generate
Thinking about contemporary politics can be alienating and demoralizing. To counter the negative pull of such feelings, I’ve launched a second Substack newsletter, Re/Generate, which offers resources and inspiration for resilience, growth, and renewal. If you enjoy Liberal Confessions but would also appreciate an uplifting counterweight to the often heavy issues it explores, please check out Re/Generate today!
