Rational self-interest is often seen as being at the heart of liberal economic theory. In The Power at the End of the Economy Brian Massumi provides an alternative explanation, arguing that neoliberalism is grounded in complex interactions between the rational and the emotional. Offering a new theory of political economy that refuses the liberal prioritization of individual choice, Massumi emphasizes the means through which an individual's affective tendencies resonate with those of others on infra-individual and transindividual levels. This nonconscious dimension of social and political events plays out in ways that defy the traditional equation between affect and the irrational. Massumi uses the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement as examples to show how transformative action that exceeds self-interest takes place. Drawing from David Hume, Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, Niklas Luhmann and the field of nonconsciousness studies, Massumi urges a rethinking of the relationship between rational choice and affect, arguing for a reassessment of the role of sympathy in political and economic affairs.

About the Author
Brian Massumi is Professor of Communication at the University of Montreal. He is the author of several books, including What Animals Teach Us about Politics and Parables for the Virtual: Movement, Affect, Sensation, both also published by Duke University Press.


Reviews
"Behavioral economists who study the psychology of decision making should engage this study of potential, virtual, and kinetic emotions, given that emotions are what move people to action. Going beyond Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri's Commonwealth and Timothy Wilson's Strangers to Ourselves, this is a book for those interested in cultural theory. ... Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals." -- K. Toeloelyan * Choice *
"... powerful and convincing in its theoretically innovative, productive intertwining of political philosophy, cognitive psychology and Luhmann's systems theory." -- Hannah Richter * Constructivist Foundations *
"Massumi's interventions regarding affect, neoliberalism, and politics are undoubtedly original, and provocative. The book pierces to the heart of the neoliberalism's most basic premises about rationality, self-interest, and economic behavior." -- Anita Chari * Theory & Event *



Book Information
ISBN 9780822358381
Author Brian Massumi
Format Paperback
Page Count 144
Imprint Duke University Press
Publisher Duke University Press
Weight(grams) 227g