Event information:

How are neoliberal thought leaders reacting to the recent rise of radical conservatism? Looking at Atlas, a worldwide network of around 500 “free market” think tanks and campaign groups, this study examines neoliberalism’s ideological coherence and responsiveness to ongoing political and economic shifts. This is accomplished via a qualitative analysis of a sample of documents Atlas think tanks published on their websites from 2017 to 2022. The findings are both predictable and puzzling. First, commitment to globalization, marketization and other core neoliberal ideas is both normal and commonplace. Second, explicit evidence of ideological fracture is limited, with only some think tanks signaling comfort with positions and rhetoric associated with the radical right. However, the network as a whole appears consistently – and wilfully – apathetic towards disagreements on the political right, relative to the vigor and consistency with which it confronts left-of-center ideas, parties, and governments. The paper addresses this puzzle by introducing the concept of selective ignorance. An underappreciated modality of ideological reproduction, selective ignorance in this case points in the direction of a potential convergence between neoliberalism and radical conservativism. The consequences of this development for national and international politics are addressed with an eye on a larger research project based here at uOttawa https://globalright.ca/

Speaker:

Srdjan Vucetic is a professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), uOttawa. His research interests are in international security, foreign & defence policy, and the Yugoslav region.

Chair: 

Jacqueline Best is a Full Professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. Her research is at the intersection of international relations, political economy and social theory.

Accessibility
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Date and time
Nov 15, 2023
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Format and location
In person
Social Sciences Building (FSS)
FSS 4006
Language
English
Audience
General public