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CAUT Bulletin Archives
1996-2016

December 2004

The Terror of Neoliberalism: Authoritarianism and the Eclipse of Democracy

Henry A. Giroux. Aurora, Ontario: Garamond Press, 2004; 192 pp; ISBN: 1-55193-054-4, paper $22.95 CA.
Neoliberalism, too commonly regarded as an economic theory, is a complex of values, ideologies and practices that work more broadly as a "cultural field." Giroux argues that its cultural dimensions erode the public participation that is the very foundation of democratic life. Under neoliberal policies, Giroux shows, populations are increasingly denied the symbolic, educational and economic capital necessary for engaged citizenship. He assesses the impact of neoliberalism on the language of democracy, race, education and the media, offering alternatives necessary to restore democratic institutions.

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