“Free” Not to Engage: Neoliberal Ideology and Collective Action. The Case of the Yellow Vest Movement

Girerd, Lola; Ray, Frédérique Anne; Priolo, Daniel; Codou, Olivier; Bonnot, Virginie

doi:10.5334/irsp.363

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(121 reference statements)

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“…Increases in both TSD and the precarity of lower SES life share roots in the global advancement of flexible capitalism. However, with some notable exceptions (Bay‐Cheng et al, 2015; Becker et al, 2021; Girerd et al, 2020; Sheehy‐Skeffington, 2020), few empirical studies in psychology situate findings within the structural‐cultural context of neoliberal and flexible capitalism, which has increased the temporal–spatial precarity of workers as potential “labour time” has been expanded to all hours of the day and all places (Alliez & Lazzarato, 2018; Standing, 2011). Psychological investigations of spatial (Lewicka, 2011) and temporal (Zimbardo & Boyd, 2015) orientations have often not acknowledged the historical roots of such orientations, perhaps inadvertently reifying the abstracted ways of being in time and space that typify the Global North.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In a double‐bind: Time–space distanciation, socioeconomic status, and coping with financial stress in the United States

Schmitt

Black

Keefer

et al. 2022

British J Social Psychol

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Psychological research has shown that lower socioeconomic status (SES) individuals experience higher levels of stress and tend to cope in more present-oriented ways. While some research in the field has sought to, for instance, increase future-oriented ways of being among lower SES individuals, we argue that such approaches may come at significant cost. We consider the construct of time-space distanciation (TSD) -the normative way in which time and space are abstracted from one another at cultural and individual levels -as a way to complicate psychological research on social class, stress, and coping. Across four studies, we present research on US geographical regions (Studies 1-2) and US participants (Studies 3-4) suggesting that adopting normative high-TSD orientations represents a double-bind for lower SES individuals: it allows one to enact more proactive coping strategies in the face of financial stressors such as debt (Studies 1-3), but it is also a source of disproportionate stress itself (Study 4), given the burdens faced by lower SES individuals trying to navigate time and space in culturally hegemonic ways in spite of precarity and material insecurity. We discuss how TSD offers a means of situating psychological research into precarity within the broader structural context of flexible capitalism.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In a double‐bind: Time–space distanciation, socioeconomic status, and coping with financial stress in the United States

Schmitt

Black

Keefer

et al. 2022

British J Social Psychol

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“…We believe that the present research can help nourish several research fields in psychology. For instance, it has been shown that an important implication of neoliberal ideology is that it diminishes the chances of one engaging in collective action (e.g., Girerd and Bonnot, 2020 ; Girerd et al, 2020 ). In our interviews, we did find elements that help us understand this phenomenon.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Neoliberalism fosters this mode of governance by promoting certain beliefs and values, by shaping people's aspirations, by psychologizing structural issues and by prescribing certain behavioral, psychological and emotional reactions (e.g., Larner, 2000 ; Beauvois, 2005 ; Pedwell, 2012 ), inasmuch as an ideology dictates how one should think, feel and react toward specific events (Ratner, 2019 ). For instance, research conducted in France has already brought some evidence that neoliberal ideology could hinder engagement in collective action aimed at addressing structural disadvantages (Girerd and Bonnot, 2020 ; Girerd et al, 2020 ). Yet, at this point more research is still needed to better grasp the content of this ideology, and thus its consequences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neoliberal Ideology in France: A Qualitative Inquiry

Girerd¹,

Verniers²,

Bonnot³

2021

Front. Psychol.

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This article adds to the existing literature on neoliberal ideology by investigating its content and contours in a context historically marked by statism. Very few studies in social psychology have looked at how neoliberal ideology transpires out of people's discourses and none have done so in such contexts. Yet, this appears necessary in order to better understand its actual influence and how it interacts with localized norms. Relying on a qualitative analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews and on the existing literature, we identified five central themes of neoliberal ideology in France: State prerogatives, competition, abstraction from institutional and social contexts, the entrepreneurial self and emotional management. Results suggest that the influence of neoliberal ideology transpires in the way people envision competition as something natural and motivating, in the way they distance themselves from their immediate and distant contexts, and in the way they value and engage in self-regulation while pursuing happiness and self-optimization. We also found that, in the French context, neoliberal ideology was not necessarily associated to the willingness to see the State step back and to the rationalization of all types of inequalities. Indeed, in the eyes of participants, the State largely remains the guarantor of public services and should ensure an equality of opportunity. This study highlights the value of relying on a qualitative approach to provide a rich and complex account of social realities such as ideologies.

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“…A second study pointed at the potential role of antineoliberal ideology to explain participation in the YVs movement (Girerd et al, 2020), a relation mediated by a lower sense of personal control and the feeling that the system is unjust and illegitimate. This explanation deals with the notion of anomie, a general sociological concept proposed by Durkheim (1897Durkheim ( /1967 in his study about social determinants of suicide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Yellow Vests in France: Psychosocial Determinants and Consequences of the Adherence to a Social Movement in a Representative Sample of the Population

Wagner‐Egger

Cordonier

Cafiero³

et al. 2022

International Review of Social Psychology

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The aim of this research is to identify what social and psychological variables may attract people to a social protest movement, namely the Yellow Vests (YVs) in France, which originated in October 2018. This analysis, albeit correlational, may nevertheless give important hints to identify in an exploratory way what causal factors could lead people (a) to become a sympathizer of the movement and (b) to become a member of that movement, and what psychosocial consequences would derive from (a) and (b). Notably, the role of conspiracy beliefs and anomie will be scrutinized because of their role in fostering non-normative political violence. In this purpose, we analyzed the results of a poll conducted on a representative sample of the French population (N = 1760). This survey explored a range of respondents' attitudes towards social issues and towards the YVs movement. Our analyses showed that adherence to the YVs movement is mainly caused by socio-economic factors (such as educational level, economic capital) and belonging to political extremes (far left and even more far right), relying on and probably increasing distrust toward authorities and unconventional beliefs (paranormal and conspiracist). Ultimately, adherence to the movement seems triggered by the objective factor of dependency on a car and endorsement of conspiracist beliefs; whereas, simple sympathy is related to a less irrational form of accusation of authorities, low subjective economic capital, and pessimism toward the future. YVs also more often use social media and Youtube, but less often use media websites and newspapers as their first source of information.

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“Free” Not to Engage: Neoliberal Ideology and Collective Action. The Case of the Yellow Vest Movement

Cited by 10 publications

References 55 publications

In a double‐bind: Time–space distanciation, socioeconomic status, and coping with financial stress in the United States

In a double‐bind: Time–space distanciation, socioeconomic status, and coping with financial stress in the United States

Neoliberal Ideology in France: A Qualitative Inquiry

The Yellow Vests in France: Psychosocial Determinants and Consequences of the Adherence to a Social Movement in a Representative Sample of the Population

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