Resisting the global neoliberal economy
| Author | Alasia Nuti |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14748851211025875 |
| Published date | 01 April 2023 |
| Date | 01 April 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Reviews |
Review EJPT
Resisting the global
neoliberal economy
Alasia Nuti
University of York, UK
Benjamin McKean, Disorienting Neoliberalism: Global Justice and the Outer Limit of Freedom, Oxford:
Oxford University Press 2020, 296 Pages Hardback, ISBN: 9780190087807, £47.99
Abstract
As a Western citizen, am I responsible for the serious injustices, such as sweatshop
labour, characterising our global economy? Benjamin McKean’s terrific new book,
Disorienting Neoliberalism: Global Justice and the Outer Limit of Freedom, shows why this is
a misleading question – one that will not properly orient us in relation to the neoliberal
economy. McKean argues that we need to recognise that we are unfree under unjust
transnational economic institutions and thus we have a shared interest in resisting neo-
liberalism. This means that we should become disposed to heed the calls for solidarity by
others across the world whose freedom is also impaired by neoliberal institutions.
McKean’s book offers a powerful and persuasive new account of global (in)justice and
solidarity; it is an inspiring call to arms for egalitarian theorists. Although I will raise two
friendly critical observations about McKean’s argument, I recognise that this book is a
major contribution to international political theory and that it sets a superb example of
how to combine scholarly rigour with what might be called activist theorising.
Keywords
Activism, freedom, global justice, neoliberalism, solidarity
Many persons holding broadly egalitarian values and commitments often feel
paralysed and powerless when faced with the serious injustices that characterise
our global economy. You might rightly feel outraged and horrified when hearing
Corresponding author:
Alasia Nuti, Department of Politics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
Email: alasia.nuti@york.ac.uk
European Journal of Political Theory
!The Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/14748851211025875
journals.sagepub.com/home/ept
2023, Vol. 22(2) 346–353
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