New Books in Political Science Sari Hanafi, "Against Symbolic Liberalism: A Plea for Dialogical Sociology" (Liverpool UP, 2025)
Mar 11, 2026
Sari Hanafi, a sociologist and director at the American University of Beirut, challenges the gap between professed liberal values and illiberal practices. He introduces symbolic liberalism and urges a shift toward dialogical sociology. The conversation covers rights inflation, religion in public reason, community-focused reforms, and practical policies to rebuild genuine public debate.
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What Symbolic Liberalism Actually Means
- Symbolic liberalism occurs when people sincerely endorse liberal rights yet act illiberally by excluding dissenting views.
- Sari Hanafi links this to knowledge-economy actors who moralize disputes, shrinking space for dialogue and fueling polarization and authoritarianism.
When Rawls Becomes A Thick Ideology
- Turning Rawlsian thin public liberalism into a thick, universalized morality creates injustice for marginalized and colonialized groups.
- Hanafi warns when a particular moral worldview is smuggled into 'justice' it excludes alternative conceptions of the good.
Reembed Community Through The Neighbor Test
- Reintroduce community values like the common good and the moral test of the neighbor into liberal politics.
- Use neighbourliness to extend moral regard beyond identity boundaries to refugees, citizens, and nearby peoples.
