Neoliberalism, Affect and Twenty-First-Century Culture

An interdisciplinary roster of contributors across the humanities and social sciences draws connections between contemporary culture, neoliberalism and affect to examine representations of emotional self-management in personal, professional, and social contexts in the 21st century.

One of the most salient aspects of neoliberalism is the way its pervasiveness extends to the personal sphere, subjecting the personal to market logics as even private emotions become commodities to be administered and owned. Analyzing a range of cultural texts – including shows like Severance, novels like The Corrections, and even art exhibits like Contemporary Models of Realism from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow – contributors demonstrate how the omnipresence of neoliberalism across ideological perspectives and cultural contexts trains individuals to view themselves as individualist, competitive entrepreneurs in all facets of life on a global scale.

Although this collection reveals art’s capacity to reproduce and circulate neoliberal logics amid unsuspecting audiences, it also – perhaps more importantly – highlights the ways in which aesthetic forms can conjure resistance.