Abstract
The objective of this essay is to analyze the evolution of the political culture of the moderate left in the last decades. The starting point is the focus on values and strategies affecting domestic and foreign policy of the left in the phase of “modernity”: that is, during the Cold War. Johan Galtung has been the intellectual leader of the “constructivist” wing of political sociology, emphasizing values like peace, non-violence, participatory democracy, welfare state… After 1989, the left has partially modified its political strategies. The West was living a transition process from modern to post-modern societies. The left has chosen multi-culturalism as its core value in the decision-making processes over migration flows and conflict management among different nations. The politically correct ideology has become the new leftist “anchor” to post-modernity, and has played the role of “prevailing” (but not dominating) political culture in the West. This essay will evaluate if the political strategies of constructivist and politically correct lefts are compatible, starting from the teachings of Johan Galtung.