Against Symbolic Liberalism

Sari Hanafi's 'Against Symbolic Liberalism: A Plea for Dialogical Sociology' examines how some social scientists and public actors rhetorically champion liberal rights yet act in politically illiberal ways, producing exclusions and polarisation.

Hanafi introduces 'symbolic liberalism' to describe this contradiction and argues it contributes to authoritarianism, economic precarity, and environmental harm by turning thin liberal principles into thick, hegemonic moral claims.

To counter this, he proposes a dialogical turn: expanding public reason to include non-authoritarian religious and moral language, re-embedding politics in care and shared spaces, and integrating concepts like neighbor and the common good.

The book blends political and moral philosophy with sociological critique and offers institutional and civic reforms—mixed housing, participatory budgeting, social cooperatives, and care-focused policies—to rebuild a pluralistic public sphere.

It emphasizes a two-level role for sociology: mediating public debate with empirical knowledge while normatively defending marginalized groups.