Neoliberalism and Biopolitics Working Group | Globalizing Neoliberalism(s)?

In this session, Professors Elyachar and Rofel will reflect on how norms and practices of neoliberal governmentality are disseminated and transformed across borders.

Professors Elyachar and Rofel’s extensive studies of Egypt and China, respectively, offer new insights into how different forms of neoliberalism transform social and political life in various contexts, while also calling into question the enduring viability of neoliberalism as an analytic frame. We will aim to collectively problematize and contest Euro-centric approaches to the study of neoliberalism, while also investigating the role of NGOs, IGOs, corporations and state institutions in such processes. We hope to foster a comparative and interdisciplinary dialogue to reassess both how neoliberalism(s) function as practices in the contemporary world and what limitations the framework of neoliberalism may pose for the analysis of contemporary transformations of social life. We will consider questions concerning the privatization of public goods, international investment and development programs, the dissemination of norms of entrepreneurship, the role of experts in development projects, micro-lending, the effects of such developments on “public culture,” sexual and gender norms, and kinship structures.

The Neoliberalism and Biopolitics Working Group and Conference is supported by the University of California Humanities Research Institute, organized by UC Berkeley graduate students William Callison (Political Science) and Zachary Manfredi (Rhetoric), and supervised by The Program in Critical Theory faculty Martin Jay (History) and Wendy Brown (Political Science).

To register for these sessions and receive readings contact critical_theory@berkeley.edu. All events are free and open to the public.

Outreach to anthropology especially helpful.

Target audience: All Audiences

Open to audience: All Audiences