Rhetoric Race and Religion
A recent piece by Amer F. Ahmed outlines a phenomenon he calls “social justice elitism.” Ahmed is the associate director of multi-ethnic student affairs at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He notes a tendency among certain students to “out social-justice” each other by denouncing the subtle prejudices of others. Ahmed’s essay is echoed by a popular discussion on the blogosphere about “social justice warriors” or “SJWs.” Urban Dictionary defines SJW as:
A pejorative term for an individual who repeatedly and vehemently engages in arguments on social justice on the Internet, often in a shallow or not well-thought-out way, for the purpose of raising their own personal reputation.
It goes without saying that more must be done to promote social justice on college campuses and this is why I am glad that Ahmed is drawing attention to this problem. As much as anti-intellectualism can be disguised as critical thinking, “social justice elitism” can choke out sincere discussion about what a more just society might look like. This problem is especially germane to religious studies.
The “Safi-Hughes Controversy of 2014” demonstrates the need for a larger conversation about the academic study of religion and identity politics. Undergraduate courses in religious studies can be a transformative environment in which students make a sincere effort to apprehend the experience of other polities. They can also become arenas in which the SJWs spar while other students (and even faculty) serve as intimidated spectators. By taking the problem raised by Ahmed seriously, it may be possible to promote a more effective conversation about social justice.
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