The Terror of Neoliberalism: Authoritarianism and the Eclipse of Democracy

Published Under the Garamond Imprint

For copyright reasons, this title is only available in Canada.

Neoliberalism, too commonly regarded as an economic theory, is a complex of values, ideologies, and practices that work more broadly as a “cultural field.” Giroux argues that its cultural dimensions erode the public participation that is the very foundation of democratic life. Under neoliberal policies, populations are increasingly denied the symbolic, educational, and economic capital necessary for engaged citizenship. Giroux assesses the impact of neoliberalism on the language of democracy, race, education, and the media, offering alternatives necessary to restore democratic institutions.

The main argument of this book is that neoliberalism has to be understood and challenged as both an economic theory and a powerful public pedagogy and cultural politics. That is, it has to be named and critically understood before it can be critiqued. The “common sense” assumptions that legitimate neoliberalism’s alleged historical inevitability have to be unsettled and then engaged for the social damage they cause at all levels of existence.

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