Foucault-phobia and the problem with the critique of neoliberal ideology: a response to Downey et al.

Abstract

Among a spate of recent articles addressing the legacy of Stuart Hall’s work on ideology and the media, John Downey, Gavan Titley and Jason Toynbee have recently argued for the urgent need to recover the key dimensions of Hall’s ideology critique. While affirming the need for an effective critique of neoliberalism, this article takes issue with two aspects of Downey et al.’s article: first, their principal claim that ideology critique has been marginalised within the neoliberal academy, and second, their flippant dismissal of the benefits of a Foucauldian approach for critiquing neoliberalism and thinking more reflexively about ideology.