Neoliberalism - the doctrine that market exchange is an ethic in itself, capable of acting as a guide for all human action - has become dominant in both thought and practice throughout much of the world since 1970 or so. Its spread has depended upon a reconstitution of state powers such that privatization, finance, and market processes are emphasized. State interventions in the economy are minimized, while the obligations of the state to provide for the welfare of its citizens are diminished. David Harvey, author of 'The New Imperialism' and 'The Condition of Postmodernity', here tells the political-economic story of where neoliberalization came from and how it proliferated on the world stage. While Thatcher and Reagan are often cited as primary authors of this neoliberal turn, Harvey shows how a complex of forces, from Chile to China and from New York City to Mexico City, have also played their part. In addition he explores the continuities and contrasts between neoliberalism of the Clinton sort and the recent turn towards neoconservative imperialism of George W. Bush. Finally, through critical engagement with this history, Harvey constructs a framework not only for analyzing the political and economic dangers that now surround us, but also for assessing the prospects for the more socially just alternatives being advocated by many oppositional movements.

大卫·哈维（David Harvey），1935年生于英国肯特郡，1957年获英国剑桥大学学士学位，1961年获该校博士学位。曾任教于英国布里斯托尔大学、美国宾州大学、英国牛津大学和美国约翰·霍普金斯大学，现任教于纽约市立大学研究生中心和伦敦经济学院。

哈维是当今世界最重要的批判性知识分子，也是当代西方新马克思主义的代表人物之一。其主要著作包括《地理学中的解释》、《社会正义与城市》、《资本的限度》和《新帝国主义》等。