Neoliberalism, Class and Culture: The 2008 Federal Elections in Canada and the United States

Abstract

In the 2008 federal elections in Canada and The United States, conservative parties used class rhetoric in an attempt to draw votes from the working class. They did so by defining class along narrowly cultural lines, so excluding economic concerns. This research note examines the cases of ‘Ordinary Canadians Don’t Care About The Arts’ and ‘Joe the Plumber’ to show how conservative parties in Canada and the United States are redefining class as a purely cultural variable. Although the rhetoric was not entirely successful, the cases are instructive about the ways that the understandings and importance of class as an economic relation is suppressed by pro-capitalist parties in political elections.

Is everyone really middle class? Social class position and identification in Alberta

“…Individuals identify with classes with varying strength, and class differences map onto individuals’ sense of control and life chances. Following Marx, those in the working class develop a class consciousness due to the exploitative nature of their relationship to the market with a comradery that includes opposing those who are critical of working‐class lifestyles (Fowler, 2012; Williams, 2012). Analyses of surveys between 1982 and 2010 indicate that different class locations are associated with class consciousness, but these relationships have changed over time in Canada (Livingstone & Scholtz, 2016).…”

Producing “Good” Citizens: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Publication, Achieving excellence

“…The choice of the word "spirit" is interesting as well, since it is akin to words such as soul, or self and identity. Whether intentional or not, the use of this word has the effect of naturalising the construct of entrepreneurialism for the audience, which matches the underlying discourse as well as Fowler's (2012) assertion that "the image of the heroic entrepreneur [is] celebrated by neoliberals" (p. 194). Thus, this is an example of marketised language, wherein economic discourses appear naturalised for public consumption.…”