A Wonderfully Secret Code:

Race and Racism in Neoliberal Thought

Dr Lars Cornelissen

5-6.30pm, Wednesday 26th October

RHB 137, Goldsmiths

In this talk, Lars Cornelissen will argue that neoliberalism, understood as a distinct and well-defined intellectual tradition, is constitutively racialised. This is to say not only that racial and racialised concepts pervade neoliberal thought but also that these concepts are indispensable to its functioning and cannot be extracted from neoliberal reason without defacing it beyond recognition. In exploring neoliberalism’s record on race, he will linger on two crucial episodes in the history of neoliberal thought to explore both how racial constructions fit into neoliberalism and how neoliberalism, in its turn, has impacted racial discourse in the West more broadly.

Lars Cornelissen studies themes of race, colonialism, and democracy in neoliberalism and is currently finishing a book on constructions of race in neoliberal thought. He works at the Independent Social Research Foundation.

All are welcome to attend and no booking is necessary. Visit this page for details on how to find Goldsmiths and the room.