Dying myths of neoliberalism: Reflections on socialisation in the age of precarity

This paper critically examines theories of neoliberal socialisation. Taking Byung-chul Han's theory of ‘psychopolitics’ as an example, I contend that descriptions highlighting the ‘seductive’ and ‘positive’ elements of neoliberal culture overlook the persistent disciplinary and precarising forces underpinning the neoliberal socio-economy. Contrary to claims that repressive mechanisms are obsolete, the analysis shows they were initially redirected towards marginalised groups along racialised, psychiatrised, and class demarcations, and their effects are now working their way up the class hierarchy. Proposing an alternative framework, this paper refocuses the analysis of neoliberalism on capitalist class dynamics and centres precarisation as the key socialising force. By detailing the multi-layered effects of this precarisation – such as the rise of cynicism, defensive individualism, and paranoid-populist outcrops – this paper provides a revised understanding of contemporary capitalist subjectivity. Ultimately, this contributes to broader theoretical debates concerning the psychosocial chaos of our late-neoliberal present.