Reassessing Existential Constructs and Subjectivity: Freedom and Authenticity in Neoliberalism

Abstract

In this article, I reassess two central existential constructs at their intersection with neoliberalism and the self-help industry. Freedom and authenticity, as theorized primarily in the Sartrean tradition, have been commodified by the neoliberal self-help industry into uncritical and universalizing concepts. As these contemporary caricatures of freedom and authenticity become popular, their effects on subjectivity can be problematic. I conduct a reassessment of these constructs to identify where power relations, universality, and misinterpretations not only propagate errors that become embodied in subjectivity but also demarcate inclusionary and exclusionary criteria for diverse subjectivities to access freedom and authenticity.