Charles Masquelier

Critical theory and contemporary social movements Conceptualizing resistance in the neoliberal age

The advent of an unregulated and financial form of capitalism, combined with a sharp rise in income inequalities and economic insecurity since the 1970s, appears to pose, at first glance, a significant challenge for the relevance of the works of first-generation critical theorists, which are often confined to an historically specific ‘artistic’ critique of the bureaucratic stage of capitalist development. Through an analysis of the various concerns and demands expressed by members of the alter-globalization and Occupy movements, the article nevertheless aims to demonstrate that first-generation critical theory can continue to play a significant role in conceptualizing contemporary forms of resistance by: (1) capturing the social malaise engendered by neoliberal capitalism; and (2) informing the practice of resistance in contemporary capitalist societies.

Marx, Cole and the Frankfurt School: Realising the political potential of critical social theory

In this article, the author proposes that whilst Habermas’s attempt to conceptualise a political form oriented towards the institutionalisation of emancipatory practice represents a positive step for critical theory, it is best served by developing a theoretical framework that does not presuppose or apologise for the instrumental mastery of external nature. It is argued that in order to achieve such a task, the political potential of the critique of instrumental reason elaborated by the first generation of Frankfurt School theorists ought to be realised through the labour-mediated reconciliation of humanity with both internal and external nature, for which the libertarian socialism of G. D. H. Cole provides an adequate basis.

Unleashing the Emancipatory Power of the ‘Spirit of Free Communal Service’: G.D.H. Cole, Dialogical Coordination and Social Change

Masquelier reappraises G.D.H. Cole’s ‘spirit of free service’ theory, showing how this libertarian socialist vision could serve as inspiration for renewing the socialist imagination beyond the usual dualisms of state and market. The chapter begins with a detailed overview of Cole’s critique of the capitalist mode of production and liberal forms of democratic representation and the merits of his alternative. It then argues that the expansion of the cooperative sector along with developments taking place within the contemporary digital economy may be paving the way for the large-scale institutionalisation of the spirit of free communal service in a dialogically coordinated system of allocation of resources. To help achieve this a strategic vision is offered which could help move these values and practices towards the centre of economic and political discourse.

Emancipatory Political Action Reimagined

The task of assessing the relevance of emancipatory political action to the neoliberal condition is an important one for two principal reasons: because it has fallen out of favour with several critical social theorists, and because the present-day situation is marked by the cult of the personally responsible individual. In this chapter, it is nevertheless argued that emancipatory action bears relevance to the present day. Elements of its re-conceptualization in the light of politically relevant developments, such as the rise of identity-politics, are also offered.

Conceptualizing Neoliberal Domination

The chapter begins with an analysis of economic facts and an attempt to understand their relationship with personal forms of power and domination. This task, it is argued, is best achieved by framing domination with one of Bourdieu’s core concepts, namely “symbolic domination.” It will in fact be shown that by framing domination in this way, one can begin to better understand the complex ways in which different forms of domination are imbricated under the neoliberal condition.

Introduction of Part III

Since the rise to prominence of identity politics in the 1960s and 1970s and the cultural turn taken by social theorizing, which culminated in postmodern narratives, it has become somewhat unfashionable to speak of emancipation. Emancipatory politics has come to be construed as a “thing” of the past, a political project tied with, and confined to, social conditions marking a bygone era. In the work of Lyotard (1984), for example, the contemporary “incredulity towards meta-narratives” is thought to mark the demise of collective forms of political action uniting individuals behind a shared emancipatory project. Societies have, we are told, become far too complex and pluralized to be able to speak of a political project capable of uniting the differentiated mass of individuals subjected to disenfranchizement, precarization or exploitation. But postmodern thinkers are not alone in highlighting changes in the nature of political action. For example, for a late modernity theorist like Giddens (1991), contemporary forms of political action have come to assume two distinct characteristics: an articulation around post-material issues, which proponents of the new social movements thesis have also emphasized, and the individualization of political action. Political action, in the form of “life politics,” is mainly confined to the sphere of culture and has turned into a matter of individual responsibility. For Giddens, then, the advent of “late modernity” marked the demise of emancipatory politics in the face of issues thought to be too biographical and diverse to call for, or require, collective forms of action.

Probing Neoliberal Domination

In this chapter, the contribution of neoliberal reforms to social and environmental domination is analysed. In addition to this, the premises for conceptualizing their intersections are identified. It will be shown that neoliberal domination has given rise to a complex imbrication of economic, cultural and environmental domination.

Making Sense of Contemporary Social Movements

In this chapter, an analysis of contemporary social movements is provided. This is achieved by addressing the concerns and demands expressed by their members, along with the challenges these movements have faced in resisting domination. The aim is to draw some important implications for the conceptualization of resistance under the neoliberal age.

Narrative Identity and Emancipation

In this chapter, I propose to address the problem of emancipatory political action by adopting a “narrative identity” approach. The aim is to oppose the divisive neoliberal symbolic regime with a relational conception of self-hood or the capacity to narrate an idea of the self whose existence and fate are connected to those of others. This is achieved by framing the narrative of emancipation with the ethos of “the commons.”

On the Agent of Resistance

Here the concrete political form resistance could be expected to assume is addressed. It is shown that, despite the reigning cynicism regarding the prospects of a narrative capable of uniting individuals around a cause shared in common by citizens across the advanced capitalist world, contemporary resistance movements prompt the formulation of a more optimistic diagnosis.