Pushing the Limits: An Ethnography of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Dutch Academic Environments
Summary
"It seems plausible to argue that the consumption of the so-called performance enhancers
among students in Dutch academic environments can be traced back to values cherished in
neoliberalizing societies. However, if we are to understand how these young adults make use
and make sense out of these cultural technologies it is important to go beyond the fact that
these are imbricated in broader discourses of achievement, focus, and efficiency. Previous
approaches often lack a nuanced comprehension on how such practices of consumption might
be shaping people s (internal) lifeworlds. Therefore, this thesis advocates for the need to
engage with collaborative methodologies that are willing to deal with the unobservable
realms of life. Revolting around the use of cognitive enhancers, the following ethnography
explores how said sector of the young population contests and takes part in the
(co)construction of their daily presents and futures while they learn to navigate in
environments often times perceived as demanding. In order to grasp the complexity
surrounding the consumption of performance enhancing drugs, this thesis will be built upon
four main axes (internal lifeworlds, performances of consumption, the achievement society,
ideas of the future) which cannot be understood independently and will fill in the gaps
between one another. The first chapter deals with the more technical aspects and
methodological choices; the second chapter looks at the different self-styling techniques
employed by the students by looking and analysing individual accounts and experiences; the
third chapter pays attention to the prevailing structural ideologies in the current global
political economy; and lastly, the whole discussion will be articulated with the ever-growing
ideas of the future and its technologies. This is the result of three months of ethnographic
fieldwork and was possible thanks to the contributions of a group of students who engaged in
the exploration of their own internal lifeworlds."