This highly original work posits that the changes in the nature of citizenship caused by neoliberal globalization must be understood as the result of an ongoing imperial project. Although they may seem admirable, policies such as humanitarian and citizenship rights are really an imperial venture led by global institutions and corporations in order to export capitalist market forces worldwide. This entails a form of neoliberal citizenship in which social security is replaced by market insecurity and rising inequality. In this light, the citizen becomes an imperial subject whose needs and desires have been colonized by the global market. However, emerging social forces in Latin America and elsewhere have begun to challenge this imperialist logic, fostering a resistance that may bring forth a new global vision of citizenship. This unique analysis draws together neoliberal citizenship, new imperialism, and the creation of 'financial subjects' into an innovative theoretical exploration. By expanding the debate on global citizenship, Imperial Subjects will engage readers in political and social sciences interested in contemporary political thought, citizenship, and globalization.

Author Biography

Colin Mooers is a professor of Politics and Cultural Theory at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. He served as Chair of the Department of Politics and Public Administration from 2001-2006 and as Director of the York-Ryerson Joint Graduate Program in Communication and Culture from 2008-2011. His areas of research and publishing include the political economy of capitalism and imperialism, citizenship, multiculturalism and cultural theory.