the feeling that you are not at the top then you’re in danger of losing a ‘if livelihood’. Here, insecurities about one’s performance are connected to fears about one’s livelihood. Anxieties become prevalent, resonating with Tyler’s (2013: 7) argument that neoliberal democracies through the generation ‘function of consent via fear […]’. In the absence of narratives that highlight the impact of socio-economic structures on individual lives, and in a context where work is experienced as precarious, anxieties and self-doubt seem to prevail. Competing with the self Many commentators have pointed out that the entrepreneurial subject is competitive and that it to others as competitors’ (McNay, 2009: 64; see ‘relates also Mirowski, 2014: 92). Resonating with this claim, the research participants described the classical music world as competitive’ (Kerry). Interestingly ‘very though, they simultaneously emphasised their dislike for competition. Holly said that the profession be quite competitive. And I don’t like that and I try to ‘can remove myself from that as much as possible’. Equally, Judith felt that musicians should each other’ instead of engaging in competition. ‘support In distancing themselves from competition, some research participants drew on an artistic discourse and claimed that competition was ‘uncreative’ (Sonja) or with music’ (Clarissa). As aforementioned, ‘incompatible entrepreneurial rhetoric intersects with other discourses and therefore does not hold absolutely. Indeed, the research participants’ reluctance to engage in competition seems to break with the entrepreneurial logic of constant competition and suggests a rupture in the performance of entrepreneurial subjectivity.
the feeling that ‘if you are not at the top then you’re in danger of losing a livelihood’. Here, insecurities about one’s performance are connected to fears about one’s livelihood. Anxieties become prevalent, resonating with Tyler’s (2013: 7) argument that neoliberal democracies ‘function through the generation of consent via fear […]’. In the absence of narratives that highlight the impact of socio-economic structures on individual lives, and in a context where work is experienced as precarious, anxieties and self-doubt seem to prevail. Competing with the self Many commentators have pointed out that the entrepreneurial subject is competitive and that it ‘relates to others as competitors’ (McNay, 2009: 64; see also Mirowski, 2014: 92). Resonating with this claim, the research participants described the classical music world as ‘very competitive’ (Kerry). Interestingly though, they simultaneously emphasised their dislike for competition. Holly said that the profession ‘can be quite competitive. And I don’t like that and I try to remove myself from that as much as possible’. Equally, Judith felt that musicians should ‘support each other’ instead of engaging in competition. In distancing themselves from competition, some research participants drew on an artistic discourse and claimed that competition was ‘uncreative’ (Sonja) or ‘incompatible with music’ (Clarissa). As aforementioned, entrepreneurial rhetoric intersects with other discourses and therefore does not hold absolutely. Indeed, the research participants’ reluctance to engage in competition seems to break with the entrepreneurial logic of constant competition and suggests a rupture in the performance of entrepreneurial subjectivity.
The_psychic_life_of_neoliberalism_for_PURE.docx