Enigmas of Struggle in Neoliberal Times

Extreme inequality is a hallmark of neoliberal times. How to fight against it? The paper focuses on the paradoxes of struggles against neoliberal inequality. It proposes that while the ‘market society’ has contributed to waves of spectacular revolutions and protest movements in recent years, the dissent has taken place not just against, but also within and often shaped by the neoliberal logic. Consequently, the mainstream oppositions have been mostly limited to protestation against what they do not want, failing to articulate a vision of what they actually want and how they can achieve it. It is largely in the marginalized communities, those least influenced by the neoliberal logic, wherein a measure of relative autonomy and somewhat alternative arrangements in working life and life-world may be realized.  The paper draws largely on the experience of the Middle East in the past few years.