Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics (CAPPE)
9th Annual, International, Interdisciplinary Conference
Neoliberalism and Everyday Life
Wednesday 3rd – Friday 5th September 2014
University of Brighton, UK
Keynote speaker: Imogen Tyler, Lancaster University, author of Revolting Subjects: Social Abjection and Resistance in Neoliberal Britain
Second Call for Papers:
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis many declared neoliberalism dead. Others have characterised it as a zombie, ideologically dead but nevertheless stumbling on. Five years on and the neoliberal revolution from above continues to roll on, relentlessly transforming all aspects of society and the lives of those subjected to it. Today neoliberalism looks as inexorable as ever; not only surviving the crisis but capitalising upon it. From education to housing, from popular culture to social welfare and from food production to the work place, in the last three decades neoliberalism has been working across the globe to transform every aspect of social life. This conference explores the ways in which neoliberalism impacts upon and is transforming the quotidian and therein the very ways in which we conceive of ourselves and others; the past, the present and the very horizons of the future.
Taking inspiration from recent work by Wendy Brown, Phillip Mirowski, Imogen Tyler and other scholars working in this area, this international, interdisciplinary conference brings together scholars working in a range of different fields and from a variety of perspectives to reflect on the impact neoliberalism has had, and continues to have, on the everyday lives of those subjected to it. How and in what ways is neoliberalism transforming the everyday practices and forms of understanding that shape our social reality? What kind of subjects does it seek to interpellate and by what means? How is neoliberalism represented, and not represented, in the media, in popular culture and the arts? How does this impact on the ways in which “we” understand ourselves and the world in which we live? How can neoliberalism be resisted or even overthrown? What might a post-neoliberal future look like?
Topics might include but are by no means limited to the following;
· The neoliberal revolution
· The neoliberal subject/agent
· The politics of austerity and abjection
· Liberalism and neoliberalism
· The neoliberalisation of education
· The linguistic depredations of neoliberalism
· Popular culture and neoliberalism
· Art and the aesthetics of neoliberalism
· The representation of neoliberalism in the arts, popular culture, the media and public discourse
· Neoliberalism and the intellectual
· Historical perspectives on neoliberalism
· Feminist accounts of neoliberalism
· Gender and identity politics in a neoliberal world
· Migration under neoliberal regimes
· International perspectives on neoliberalism
· Neoliberalism and the question of class
· Neoliberalism and work
· Managerialism, box-ticking and neoliberal “experts”
· “Life coaches”, “resilience” and other neoliberal conceits
· The marketisation and privatisation of public services under neoliberal regimes
· Neoliberalism in the home
· Neoliberalism and the family
· Growing up in neoliberal times
· Neoliberalism and postmodernism
· Neoliberalism and the natural and built environment
· The rearticulation of citizenship, nation and community under neoliberal regimes
· Fighting the neoliberal revolution: Is there really no alternative?
We anticipate that these and related issues will be of interest to people working in, among other areas, cultural studies, philosophy, political theory, art, politics, sociology, media studies, social geography and history. Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be emailed by 14 April 2014, at the latest, to nc95@brighton.ac.uk
The conference fee is £210. This includes refreshments, lunch on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and a buffet dinner on the Thursday evening. There are a limited number of places available for graduate students and for people who have no institutional affiliation at the reduced price of £105. Please indicate if you wish to be considered for one of these places when sending your abstract; or contact Nicola Clewer at nc95@brighton.ac.uk as soon as possible.
Please note: the conference fee does not include accommodation and, unfortunately, we are unable to offer travel grants or other forms of financial assistance. A limited amount of reasonably priced student halls of residence accommodation is available on a first come first served basis.
For further information about the centre please see the CAPPE: www.brighton.ac.uk/CAPPE <http://www.brighton.ac.uk/CAPPE>
For further information about the conference and updates:
http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/cappe-conference/neoliberalism <http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/cappe-conference/neoliberalism>