Sociology and Neoliberalism: A History of the Present

Abstract

In the wake of the recent financial crisis, there has been widespread sociological interest in neoliberalism; a form of governance that seeks to inject principles of the market into all aspects of society and culture. While neoliberalism is now a commonplace term in recent sociological literature, it is little known that the neoliberal project grew out of a critique of classical sociology.

This paper will look at three main lines of engagement between early neoliberal figures such as Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich von Hayek and classical sociological thought: the attempt to develop an economic epistemology from the methodological writings of Max Weber; a critique of the ‘scientism’ of Auguste Comte’s positivist sociology; and an affirmation of Herbert Spencer’s individualism against Durkheim’s emphasis on social solidarity. It will be argued that the initial dependence of neoliberal thought on sociology puts the discipline in a position of respective strength for understanding neoliberalism both past and present. The paper will conclude by asking how sociology might draw upon these early debates in order to make a response to neoliberal ideas and practices today.