Putting Neoliberalism in Its Place

Neoliberalism is an ideal subject for intellectual historians. It ideological movement that has been both theoretically sophisticated and influential, ensuring excursions along the highways byways of neoliberal thought can always be justified practically, as disclosing ideas have shaped contemporary politics. There also no shortage source material, voluble characters who generated ideology wrote innumerable books articles left behind extensive archival collections preserve their correspondence, drafts records meetings. Furthermore, there abundant evidence collaboration (and tensions) between key thinkers, since they worked together in long years wilderness members Mont Pèlerin Society (MPS), invitation-only discussion group formed by Friedrich Hayek 1947 to restate case market liberalism, with various associated think tanks scattered across globe. Given all this, it surprising more historical research hadn't focused on neoliberalism earlier, but field was largely clear philosophers social scientists until 2000s. Much this work any historicist character, notably influential lectures Michel Foucault, delivered 1979 only published French 2004 English 2008, which scrutinized certain texts theory some time before other scholars had them. The around 2008–9 financial crisis—by a mixture accident design—marked point at historians interest history ideas) followed Foucault diving systematically into tracing origins trajectory thought. concentrated MPS, although MPS itself probably best understood useful entry exploring several distinct strands liberalism emerged different places 1930s 1940s being woven broader transnational course 1950s 1960s. In spite skeptical voices claiming either “neoliberalism” does not exist, or if exist analyzed assertion class interests rather than ideology, cumulatively demonstrated indispensable exercise we are understand how reached present conjuncture.