Neoliberal bodies and resistance
, Neoliberalism and ‘the body’ (Harjunen, 2016)
• Neoliberalism is characterised by these following elements,
• Self-governance and responsibilisation of the individual/small populations
• Personal growth and transformation
• Success is negotiated through engagement in economy and consumerism
• As an economic policy it means a shift away from universal and equal access to
welfare and support to principles of self-effectiveness and productivity
• Ignores systemic issues and exacerbates inequalities within systems.
• Shape discourses of morality, suggesting natural or normative behaviours
• Neoliberalism and health
• Healthcare is subject to economic structures (NHS), health therefore becomes a
focus of neoliberal market forces
• Healthcare is seen as an individual concern
• People are responsible for managing their own health
• Health as normative and natural
• A healthy, exercised, maintained, and well-fed body is the ‘good’ body, the
normative body
• Individual is responsible for their own bodies
• Body practices are commercialised
• Micro-targeting of behaviour, i.e. how to improve bum, how to reduce pore size
• Health as an individual responsibility and has consequences for others
(biocitizenship)
Neoliberalism and the fat body (Harjunen, 2016)
• Fat body as an “anti-neoliberal” body (p. 6)
• The fat body is a site where you see neoliberal values in action
• Healthcare policies, healthcare systems, and social, moral, and political values
• The fat body sits in opposition to the normative values associated with the body
• Health and morality
• Sign of ill-health and individual failure
• Constructed through the lens of bio-medical discourse, i.e. BMI
• Associated with cost and need for use of public service (often considered as an
exploitation)
, Neoliberalism and ‘the body’ (Harjunen, 2016)
• Neoliberalism is characterised by these following elements,
• Self-governance and responsibilisation of the individual/small populations
• Personal growth and transformation
• Success is negotiated through engagement in economy and consumerism
• As an economic policy it means a shift away from universal and equal access to
welfare and support to principles of self-effectiveness and productivity
• Ignores systemic issues and exacerbates inequalities within systems.
• Shape discourses of morality, suggesting natural or normative behaviours
• Neoliberalism and health
• Healthcare is subject to economic structures (NHS), health therefore becomes a
focus of neoliberal market forces
• Healthcare is seen as an individual concern
• People are responsible for managing their own health
• Health as normative and natural
• A healthy, exercised, maintained, and well-fed body is the ‘good’ body, the
normative body
• Individual is responsible for their own bodies
• Body practices are commercialised
• Micro-targeting of behaviour, i.e. how to improve bum, how to reduce pore size
• Health as an individual responsibility and has consequences for others
(biocitizenship)
Neoliberalism and the fat body (Harjunen, 2016)
• Fat body as an “anti-neoliberal” body (p. 6)
• The fat body is a site where you see neoliberal values in action
• Healthcare policies, healthcare systems, and social, moral, and political values
• The fat body sits in opposition to the normative values associated with the body
• Health and morality
• Sign of ill-health and individual failure
• Constructed through the lens of bio-medical discourse, i.e. BMI
• Associated with cost and need for use of public service (often considered as an
exploitation)
