Against Symbolic Liberalism
Book talk: 'Against Symbolic Liberalism: a plea for a dialogical sociology'
Wednesday 20 May, 12.30pm, Seminar Room, Department of Sociology
Speaker: Professor Sari Hanafi, American University of Beirut
Chair: Dr Zeina Al Azmeh, University of Cambridge
Discussant: Professor Patrick Baert, University of Cambridge
In Against Symbolic Liberalism, Hanafi examines the tensions between professed liberal principles and politically illiberal practices, and makes the case for a renewed dialogical sociology in an age of polarisation, academic contestation, and narrowing spaces for debate. Gaza occupies a central place in the book’s argument, serving as a critical case through which Hanafi examines the moral and political limits of symbolic liberalism and the urgent need for genuinely dialogical forms of sociological engagement.
Sari Hanafi is Professor of Sociology at the American University of Beirut and former President of the International Sociological Association. His work spans the sociology of religion, forced migration, knowledge production, moral philosophy and the social sciences, and the politics of scientific research.
The event is convened by Dr Zeina Al Azmeh with Professor Patrick Baert as discussant. It is open to all.
Biography: Sari Hanafi | Prof. Sari Hanafi
