A far-reaching deconstruction of neoliberalism's economic agenda, political imposition and mystifying techniques

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 use it as 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

"This book represents much-needed commentary to the lectures delivered by Michel Foucault at the Collège de France in 1978/1979, entitled Birth of Biopolitics, [and] a compelling analysis of neoliberal governmentality in the era of capitalist financialization." - Theory, Culture & Society

"Erudite and provocative." - Los Angeles Review of Books