Brent Neilson

PhD Candidate in Sociology

Supervisors: Dr Chamsy el-Ojeili and Professor Kevin Dew

The Ground Shifting Beneath Us: Collective memory of New Zealand's neoliberal revolution

My research builds upon my MA thesis, in which I explored the collective memory of the neoliberalisation of New Zealand. Through a cultural sociological analysis of narrative, collected through interviews with both community and voluntary and trade union representatives, I explore how seemingly personal accounts and evaluative positions take on collective significance. By adopting a collective memory lens in the analysis of neoliberalisation, my research looks to reveal what collective memory of the past can tell us about the present, but also how we imagine our future.

Contact: brent.neilson@vuw.ac.nz