Neoliberalism is a contested but usable analytical category rather than a fixed ideology

Evidence

If neoliberalism’s demise has been foretold prematurely yet again, then we still need more and better analyses of its mechanics, its morphology, and the stations of its metamorphosis. Eighty years after the term was coined, forty years after the Volcker shock and the victories of Thatcher and Reagan, people still do not agree on whether neoliberalism exists. Many continue to find it useful to avoid the term—preferring “advanced liberalism,” distinguishing between “financialization” and neoliberalism, or insisting on neoliberalization as a verb rather than a noun. The authors in this book find it perfectly acceptable to use a word with a contested definition. Rather than jettisoning the term altogether, they seek to add precision to its use, examine its conceptual background, clarify important building blocks, and observe its evolution as a result of the interplay of intellectual debate, changing circumstances, and, not least, social struggles. — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 15

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the chapter’s stance: accept a contested term and add precision through analysis rather than reject it.
• XREF: connects to: The word ‘neoliberalism’ is itself a term of leftist critique, not neutral description — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 33; Calling neoliberalism ‘market fundamentalism’ obscures its actual content — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 142; Neoliberalism is a mutable thought collective, not a fixed market-fundamentalist creed — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 141 (+15 more)

Broader Connections

• Neoliberalism’s contested definition does not make the term analytically useless #corroborates (0.95) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 15
• Neoliberalism’s contestedness reflects its diffuse, multi-variant nature, not emptiness. #corroborates (0.95) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 2095
• Neoliberalism lacks a stable meaning or historically specific constituency #contradicts (0.90) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 17
• Neoliberalism is internally plural yet not formless #corroborates (0.88) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 10
• Neoliberalism is best understood as open problems, not fixed solutions #corroborates (0.82) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 162
• Neoliberalism dominates by default, leaving its ideology contestable #corroborates (0.80) — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1745
• Neoliberalism’s political strength partly derives from being poorly understood #corroborates (0.80) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 81
• Neoliberalism operates from a unified playbook despite surface variation #contradicts (0.78) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 917
• Neoliberalism is a reprogramming of liberal governmentality, not a reaction to capitalist crisis #qualifies (0.75) — Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos, 83