What is neoliberalism? The renewal of the debate in social sciences

Abstract

The concept of neoliberalism has been retaken by the social sciences since 2000s, with the reopening of the international debate that seeks to give more precise definitions in its critical aspect. The main arguments against the use of the concept are analyzed and its use is defended due to its strategic importance. Definitions are grouped according to the main sociological theories, separating between those that present an "essence" of Neoliberalism (Foucaultian, Marxian, Bourdieusian and Weberian theories) and those that prefer to deal with the multiplicity of singular historical and geographical manifestations, emphasizing the hybrid character of neoliberalism (post-colonialist, governmental hybridism and neoregulationist theories). It concludes by pointing to the complementarity of the targets, but also to the strategic implications of different theoretical options, especially regarding the diagnosis of the "death" of neoliberalism after the financial crisis of 2008.