Lester Spence On Neoliberalism’s Effect on Black Politics
The Intersection: Lester Spence On Neoliberalism’s Effect on Black Politics
WDET
A native of Inkster, Spence is an associate professor of political science and Africana studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. His latest book is titled “Knocking the Hustle: Against the Neoliberal Turn in Black Politics.” Spence specializes in the study of black, racial, and urban politics of the last several decades.
The more recent explosion of the number of charter schools, the development of the “prison industrial complex,” and “ending welfare as we know it” are part of a false narrative that’s so popular in America: individual ingenuity – labeled “entrepreneurship” – is what makes people succeed, Spence says.
That philosophy has been injected into liberal politics, creating the neoliberal thought that has grown among the black population, even reaching the churches. “It’s the ‘prosperity gospel’ that changes the bible into a self-help manual,” Spence says.
Politicians reflect the mentality too. “The black elected officials we have are more likely to blame people for their failures than to articulate really progressive causes,” Spence says. “The black attitudes themselves have shifted gradually to the right where they’ve become more conservative.”
Audio at the link
