The intensification of neoliberalism and the commodification of human need – a social work perspective

Cowden, Stephen ORCID: 0000-0002-2549-8760 and Singh, Gurnam (2015) The intensification of neoliberalism and the commodification of human need – a social work perspective. Critcal and Radical Social Work, 3 (3). pp. 375-387. doi:10.1332/204986015X14417170590709

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Abstract

The drive toward the commodification of human society was first explained by Marx and Engels in the Communist Manifesto as a manifestation of the territorial expansion of capitalist relations across the globe. While this dimension of capitalist expansion continues apace, this paper discuses the further dimension of the way capitalist social relations are intensified in the contemporary period of neoliberal capitalism. This involves reconstruction of subjectivity in the context of the rolling back of the gains from the post-war Keynesian period. We take a critical look at the deployment of terms such as 'empowerment' and 'resilience' in policy discourses and the way these are being used to reconstruct the relationship between the state and citizenry in this period, and the impact this is having on UK Social Work.

Item Type: Article
Article Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: neoliberalism, social work, resilience, empowerment
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology.
Divisions: Schools and Research Institutes > School of Health and Social Care
Research Priority Areas: Creative Practice and Theory
Depositing User: Stephen Cowden
Date Deposited: 29 Jun 2021 14:41
Last Modified: 27 Jul 2022 13:15
URI: https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/9873

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