Conclusion—Memento Mori: The Mortality of Neoliberalism

Abstract

I started this book with Susan George (1999, np), so it seems apt that I return to her astute words in drawing things to a close: “Finally, please remember that neoliberalism may be insatiable but it is not invulnerable….We have the numbers on our side, because there are far more losers than winners in the neoliberal game….Solidarity no longer means aid, or not just aid, but finding the hidden synergies in each other’s struggles so that our numerical force and the power of our ideas become overwhelming.” The power behind her message is of course not exclusive and such agency and resilience can similarly be found in the Cambodian proverb “grab one vine and the rest of the plant will shake.” In both instances, the message seems clear enough: oppression is never absolute and when we have the courage to resist, there are lines of flight that can offer transformation and potential emancipation. The supposed neoliberal monolith can be reduced to rubble, a process that begins when we start to realize what we are up against. This book has been an exercise in “knowing your enemy,” and so I want to conclude by demonstrating the mortality of neoliberalism.