Engaging neoliberal horizons: Iconoclasm, democracy and utopia in Quebec

Abstract

This thesis discusses 'the Demi', a local-currency project in Quebec, Canada. The author spent three months in the region, during which a qualitative research project was carried out. As a guiding theoretical orientation, Paul Ricoeur's work on the dialectic between 'ideology' and 'utopia' was adopted. These practical, hermeneutical concepts are used to explore the larger implications of the Demi, by relating and contrasting it to neoliberalism. The argument builds towards the conclusion that the Demi, and its refusal of neoliberalism, represents a particular utopian attitude. One that escapes the double-bind of posing the question of revolution in the contemporary moment.