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Going Viral: The Neoliberal Infiltration of the Living Human Web

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Caring for Souls in a Neoliberal Age

Part of the book series: New Approaches to Religion and Power ((NARP))

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Abstract

Rogers-Vaughn investigates how neoliberal governance has infiltrated and modified the social, interpersonal, and psychological dimensions of human experience. Observing that the cultural norm of neoliberalism weakens all social institutions, Rogers-Vaughn identifies how neoliberal hegemony has marginalized and appropriated religion. The consequent separation of individuals from collectives, he asserts, has led to social fragmentation and a replacement of religion with spirituality, which lacks the shared search for truth and commitment to social justice that characterizes religious collectives. Secularization theory now appears as an accomplice to neoliberalization. Rogers-Vaughn identifies how neoliberal governance has marginalized intimate relationships and created a form of emotional capitalism in which interpersonal life follows the rules and principles of economic exchange. Meanwhile, the notion of self has been reduced and reinvented, and suffering has been privatized.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

    Bruce Rogers-Vaughn

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  1. Bruce Rogers-Vaughn
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Rogers-Vaughn, B. (2016). Going Viral: The Neoliberal Infiltration of the Living Human Web. In: Caring for Souls in a Neoliberal Age. New Approaches to Religion and Power. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55339-3_3

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