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Klein’s ‘shock doctrine’ thesis & the Whitlam dismissal
Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine (2007) is one of the most widely read critical accounts of neoliberalism. Klein argues that governments have used ‘disasters’ of various kinds to implement neoliberal policies. Transformation occurs through ‘eventful temporality’,...
Neoliberalism’s Dominant Narrative
Use of the term ‘neoliberalism’ is widespread in the social sciences. While debates have raged since the 2008 economic crisis as to whether neoliberalism persists or has faltered, many argue it remains ‘the mode of existence of contemporary capitalism’ (Saad-Filho...
Thinking through David Harvey’s theorisation of neoliberalism
David Harvey is the most significant Marxist theorist of the neoliberal era and his conceptual framework is developed, chiefly, in his works The New Imperialism (2003) and A Brief History of Neoliberalism (2005). Harvey’s work is a materialist analysis of...
For a Renewed “State Debate”
After a few requests, I'm publishing my contribution to a roundtable on Leo Panitch and Sam Gindin's book The Making of Global Capitalism delivered at Historical Materialism Australasia this week. The session at the conference was presented by Leo...
Arbitration & the ALP: Union strength or impasse?
A class is dominant in two ways, namely it is ‘leading’ and ‘dominant.’ It leads the allied classes, it dominates the opposing classes. Therefore, a class can (and must) ‘lead’ before assuming power; and when it is in power it becomes dominant, but continues to lead....
Where in the World Does Neoliberalism Come From
Today my department launched its Progress in Political Economy Blog, run by the Department of Political Economy at the University of Sydney. My first post for the blog is on Raewyn Connell and Nour Dados's recent article 'Where in the World Does Neoliberalism Come...
Historical Materialism Australasia 2014
The third annual conference of Historical Materialism Australasia takes place this Friday and Saturday, September 5-6, in Sydney. The agenda looks extremely exciting, with a closing plenary on ‘Feminising Emancipation' and roundtable discussions on Thomas Piketty's...
How relevant are the unions?
Tad Tietze and I have an article on the state of the unions in the wake of the Qantas job cuts, which has been stirring up some discussion at The Guardian‘s Comment Is Free section. Here’s a preview, and you can read the full article here. It is no...