Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The paper examines the rationale behind the proliferation of the discourse of ‘wellbeing’ in the age of neoliberal capitalism. The production and maintenance of a neoliberal selfhood is intimately connected with the consumption of services and products from the wellbeing industry. The shift from a social contract based liberal democracy to a market driven neoliberal re-organization of institutions and life has impacted people’s understanding of the self. Day in and day out, this vulnerable self encounters the challenges of privatization, flexibilization, 24/7 acceleration, and financial volatility. In order to achieve a temporary state of security under ever increasing insecurities, the self needs to draw on the discourse of wellbeing, but in consequence the self falls victim to neoliberal interpellation and regulation.