decadence’ that was weakening the west."25 In France, the culture wars played a major role in the recent presidential elections. In the months leading up to the first round of voting, both Le Pen and Eric Zemmour were claiming that wokisme was ‘a looming threat to French culture.’ Interestingly, they both framed their opposition to wokisme “as resistance to a progressive 'American hysteria' invading French higher education and, from there, the rest of French society.”26
And more than politicians and their advisors are entering the fray. State government administrators – at least in the United States – are also taking direct action to change education and cultural practices. The State of Oregon’s Department of Education, for example, recently allocated nearly $2 million for a fellowship that would train K-12 educators from diverse backgrounds to reject the “euro-centric worldview” of “individualism.” The fellowship will, it is claimed, “deepen educators’ understanding … of the individual, the institutional and the systemic impacts of racism on schools and communities.” Fellows will create their own project “that disrupts a racist pattern/practice/policy or works towards liberation/equity/decolonization."27
It is these kinds of activities taking place across the nation that are used by various groups to promote their causes. One example is Moms for Liberty, sometimes referred to as M4L or MFL. Moms for Liberty came to prominence by attacking Wit & Wisdom’s English and Language Arts curriculum as “critical race theory” in disguise, a curriculum which prior to the attack had been considered a highly regarded curriculum adopted by hundreds of schools across the United States produced by the Washington, D.C. company, Great Minds, that had been unanimously approved by the Williamson County Schools in Nashville. What initially seemed like a locally spawned group became, upon deeper review, an organization that “now claims two hundred and forty chapters in forty-two states, and more than a hundred members.”28
Paige Williams, who wrote a large piece on the
origins and initiatives of organization for The New Yorker, concluded:
The slick rollout of Moms for Liberty has made it seem less like a good-faith collective of informed parents and more like a well-funded operation vying to sway American voters in a pivotal election this year. [Robin Steenman, leader of the group in Nashville chapter] recently announced a slate of upcoming talks: “Gender Ideology,” “Restorative Justice,” “Comprehensive Sex Ed,” “History of Marxism in Education.” I asked professor Rebecca Jacobsen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University, whether she thinks that Moms for Liberty members actually believe that a curriculum like Wit & Wisdom damages children. “I don’t know what anybody believes anymore,” she said, “We seem to have lost a sense of honesty. It may just be about power and money."29
Is Any of This Having an Effect?
There is a legitimate question over the effect such movements are having, both on campuses and within the greater society at large. At first blush, despite all the media attention given to the subject of individualism and higher education, the effect appears limited.
Regarding the question of whether individualism is in decline, a 2017 study examining 51 years of data on 'individualist practices and values across 78 countries,’ found individualism was indeed rising in most of the societies they tested.30
With regard to higher education, a survey of 2000 students found mixed results. When asked how much they agree with the statement “higher ed has a role to play in racial justice and racial equality in the U.S.,” two-thirds of Student Voice respondents say ‘at least somewhat.’
Moreover, when asked about individual actions taken in the past year, how campus conversations about race have evolved, and the role of higher education in racial justice
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