Of men and markets: Hayek, masculinity and neoliberalism

Abstract A key aspect of Friedrich von Hayek’s thought is the importance he places on the concept of complexity and the way that it limits human capacities for knowledge and control. Interrogating the intersection of complexity, neoliberal theory and systems of gender relations, this paper examines the place of masculinity in Hayek’s work. Reading against the grain of Hayek’s texts, I draw out the gendered assumptions that are embedded in them to consider how hegemonic masculinities may provide sustenance to neoliberalism. Focusing on The road to serfdom and The fatal conceit, the paper argues that Hayek ultimately fails to fully embrace complexity because his texts enact and rely upon a masculine subject position that limits awareness of human embeddedness in social and natural systems.