Episode 56: Human Rights and the Rise of Neoliberalism with Jessica Whyte

Listen to this episode from Reimagining Soviet Georgia on Spotify. What is the relationship between "human rights" and neoliberalism? How deeply are contemporary ideas, ideals, and visions of "human rights" influenced by neoliberalism? What can early theorists and ideologues of neoliberalism tell us about Cold War and post-Cold War uses of human rights discourse in international organizations and governance? And what are the implications of it all for a country like Georgia which experienced radical neoliberal reforms and state-economy building in the post-Soviet period? On today's episode we sit down with Jessica Whyte to discuss her 2019 book, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights and the Rise of Neoliberalism. Book description here:Drawing on detailed archival research on the parallel histories of human rights and neoliberalism, Jessica Whyte uncovers the place of human rights in neoliberal attempts to develop a moral framework for a market society. In the wake of the Second World War, neoliberals saw demands for new rights to social welfare and self-determination as threats to “civilisation”. Yet, rather than rejecting rights, they developed a distinctive account of human rights as tools to depoliticise civil society, protect private investments and shape liberal subjects.https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/500-the-morals-of-the-marketJessica Whyte is a Scientia Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of New South Wales, Australia, with a cross-appointment in the Faculty of Law. https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/jessica-whyte