Against Symbolic Liberalism: A Plea for Dialogical Sociology
Against the backdrop of deepening polarization in the world, Professor Sari Hanafi examines in his book, “Against Symbolic Liberalism: A Plea for Dialogical Sociology,” how social scientists often reproduce the very injustices they seek to challenge, taking entrenched positions while dismissing alternative perspectives. He introduces the concept of symbolic liberalism – a contradiction in which individuals espouse classical liberal principles, yet act in politically illiberal ways. He argues that this concept has exacerbated the pathologies of late modernity: authoritarianism, economic precarity and environmental destruction, now all unfolding in a climate where reasonable debate seems increasingly impossible. Examining key flashpoints of contemporary polarization, Professor Hanafi critiques how symbolic liberalism inflates the universality of rights while simultaneously narrowing the space for dialogue. Rather than this rigid ideological stance, he calls for a dialogical turn, a renewed public sphere where diverse conceptions of the “(common) good” engage in genuine conversation. Blending political and moral philosophy with sociological critique, he offers a path forward in an age when intellectual exchange is more necessary, yet also more imperiled, than ever.
Date and Time
February 17, 2026 6:00pm - 7:00pm [JST]
Details
- Venue
- Online (Zoom Webinar)
- Language
- English
Speakers
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Prof.Sari HANAFI Sari Hanafi is currently a Professor of Sociology, Director of Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies and Chair of the Islamic Studies program at the American University of Beirut. He was the President of the International Sociological Association (2018-23) and the editor of Idafat: the Arab Journal of Sociology (Arabic) (2017-2022). Among his recent books are: Studying Islam in the Arab World: The Rupture Between Religion and the Social Sciences (2024 in Routledge); Knowledge Production in the Arab World: The Impossible Promise; The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of the Middle East He recently co-authored/edited The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of the Middle East, Knowledge Production in the Arab World: The Impossible Promise and Studying Islam in the Arab World: The Rupture Between Religion and the Social Sciences. His recent book is Against Symbolic liberalism: A plea for dialogical sociology (Liverpool Univ. Press) (published as well in Arabic, Persian and Turkish and forthcoming in 7 other languages). In 2022 he became a fellow of the British Academy. (https://sites.aub.edu.lb/sarihanafi/).