ABSTRACT
At the end of the 1970s, the economic West witnessed, in the conduct of conduct, a paradigmatic shift from liberalism to neoliberalism, which has since swept the globe (e.g., Dobrowolsky 2008; Harvey 2005; Ong 2007). If during the time of liberalism, laissez-faire state was practised to give free reign to the quasi-natural self-regulating market, and the ‘natural, private interest motivated conduct of free market exchanging individuals’, in the era of neoliberalism, governments have been proactive in constructing the political, institutional and
Dr. Hongxia Shan is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Studies, University of British Columbia and Adjunct Professor in the Institute of Educational Policy Studies, Southwest University, China *Email: hongxia.shan@ubc.ca
cultural conditions for a free market. In particular, cultivating ‘entrepreneurial and competitive conduct of economic-rational individuals’ (Burchell 1993, 271, italicised original emphasis) and encouraging the development of responsible selves have been made a core mode of governance today, particularly in the West.
