The Revitalization of Political Subjectivity: Contesting Neoliberal Governmentality and theReification of Social Life

The principles of the market increasingly determine the justification of governmental interference in society. Neoliberal governmentality admits ‘no alternatives’ to the outcome of market competition, jeopardizing the potentials of democratic decision-making. Foucault’s pivotal work on neoliberalism focuses on the emergence of a ‘truth regime’ constituting subjectivities that understand themselves according to the principles of competition. The concept ‘reification’, introduced by Hungarian philosopher Georg Lukács, equally problematizes the influence of the market beyond the economy, arguing that the ‘grammar’ of the market depoliticizes modern social life. Reification and the neoliberal truth regime thus exercise a comparable power over individual behavior. Foucault’s genealogical approach, however, emphasizes above all the contingency of practices of the self. Such ‘subjectivist’ approach cannot account for the reification of social relations into which Lukács enquires. Nevertheless, Lukács’ legacy is hardly applied in analyses of contemporary neoliberal governmentality. This project therefore seeks to revitalize Lukács’ analysis of the reifying ‘grammar’ of social life with Foucault’s genealogical approach to subjective selfformation. By bringing both together, this project aims to disclose the potential of democratic practices that escape the market’s influence on social life.