"The best modern realization of Foucault's pioneering approach." -Philip Mirowski

Exploring the genesis of neoliberalism, and the political and economic circumstances of its deployment, Pierre Dardot and Christian Laval dispel numerous common misconceptions. Neoliberalism is neither a return to classical liberalism nor the restoration of "pure" capitalism. To misinterpret neoliberalism is to fail to understand what is new about it: far from viewing the market as a natural given that limits state action, neoliberalism seeks to construct the market and make the firm a model for governments. Only once this is grasped will its opponents be able to meet the unprecedented political and intellectual challenge it poses.

"To understand these debates [on neoliberalism], the book by Christian Laval and Pierre Dardot on the 'neoliberal society' offers us analytical keys. This monument of scholarship draws on the history of ideas, philosophy and sociology." - Le Monde

"Extremely scholarly, this book is an insistent invitation to push theoretical and social critique of the present order beyond the standard analyses." - Le Monde diplomatique