Neoliberalism

Anthropologists have explored neoliberalism in terms of both the political economy of capitalism and the development of new techniques for governing people, often integrating both perspectives. Anthropological interest in neoliberalism reflects its relevance to both advanced capitalist societies and the global South, although considerable emphasis has been placed on how local historical factors and postcolonial settings produce varieties of neoliberalism and hybrid regimes. There have been disagreements on how to define what has proved a slippery concept, and some anthropologists remain skeptical about whether it is useful to think about neoliberalization as a global process. The consequences of neoliberalization for disadvantaged social groups have not always been entirely negative, but neoliberal techniques of rule tend to make dissidence more manageable. The contradictory results of neoliberalization have produced a succession of crises and countermovements, but critics who hoped for a rapid transition to a post‐neoliberal era have been disappointed.