Agency, Identity, and the Great Crisis: A Veblenian Perspective

Within neoliberalism, an individual's agency and identity are fundamentally different than at any other stage in human development. The argument set forth is that within neoliberalism, agency and identity are, respectively, falsified and fluid, which further supports the intensification of the neoliberal project. When studied through the Veblenian lens, the role played by the habituating tools of commodity fetishism, conspicuous consumption, and moral panics become clear, demonstrating that while fundamentally different, neoliberal agency and identity emerge from previously established habits of thought.