Neoliberalism, emotional experience in education and Adam Smith

Reading The theory of moral sentiments alongside The wealth of nations

Bibliographic Data

ID10106218
AuthorsChristopher Hanley (0000-0002-0470-1125, Manchester Metropolitan University, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume47
Issue2
Pages105-116
Publication date2015-03-25
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Educational Administration & History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0620 • E-ISSN: 1478-7431
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00220620.2015.996868
OpenAlexW2033821981
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited28

This paper examines some critical accounts of emotional life shaped by neoliberalism. A range of literature concerned with neoliberalism and emotional experience in educational contexts is reviewed. I argue that neoliberal ‘reforms’ in public institutions create an ever-increasing demand for emotional performance. Neoliberals often refer to Adam Smith's The wealth of nations (WN) but this paper focuses on Smith's equally significant The theory of moral sentiments. In this work Smith connects competitive social relationships with varieties of challenging emotional experience. I argue that theorists in the present, seeking to understand neoliberal ‘reforms’ in public institutions, should focus on not just WN but both of Smith's major works together. This paper offers new insights into the nature of neoliberalism, extending and developing the field of historically informed critical work highlighted in this paper

Critical theory · Economics · Neoliberalism (international relations · Political economy · Political science · Positive economics · Reading (process · Social science · Sociology · Education, Philosophy, and Society · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Law · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access