Where in the world does neoliberalism come from? The market agenda in southern perspective

Raewyn Connell*, Nour Dados

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

200 Citations (Scopus)
414 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Neoliberalism is generally understood as a system of ideas circulated by a network of right-wing intellectuals, or as an economic system mutation resulting from crises of profitability in capitalism. Both interpretations prioritize the global North. We propose an approach to neoliberalism that prioritizes the experience of the global South, and sees neoliberalism gaining its main political strength as a development strategy displacing those hegemonic before the 1970s. From Southern perspectives, a distinct set of issues about neoliberalism becomes central: the formative role of the state, including the military; the expansion of world commodity trade, including minerals; agriculture, informality, and the transformation of rural society. Thinkers from the global South who have foregrounded these issues need close attention from the North and exemplify a new architecture of knowledge in critical social science.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)117-138
Number of pages22
JournalTheory and Society
Volume43
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Agriculture
  • Development
  • Global South
  • Informal economy
  • Intellectuals
  • Market
  • Neoliberalism
  • State
  • Trade

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