'Intergalactic' Resistance Studies Conference

Individual presentation

Contemplative Resistance: Nonduality, Nonattachment, and Endogenous Critique in Neoliberal Capitalism

Charles T. Lee
Arizona State University
This paper advances a political conception of contemplative praxis as a mode of resistance to neoliberal capitalism, grounded in nonduality, nonattachment, and endogenous critique. This conception resists the temptation of absolute purity that positions contemplative practices as either for or against neoliberal capitalism; instead, it situates them existentially within the neoliberal political economy, understanding them as intertwining capitalist and noncapitalist elements, as well as instrumental and noninstrumental orientations. The paper first critiques two routes of contemplative engagement in the transnational landscape of Buddhism: Humanistic Buddhism, which lacks a structural analysis of power inequity, and anti-capitalist Buddhism, which challenges capitalism but only through a binary-oppositional lens. Next, it proposes an endogenous and nondualistic understanding of contemplative resistance that empowers practitioners to “hold space” for ambivalent and paradoxical political possibilities. This approach enables practitioners to navigate life within capitalism, securing what they need for survival and well-being while negotiating, subverting, and redirecting two systemic effects of capitalism on minds and bodies: (1) alienation and “false consciousness” per Marx; and (2) docile bodies per Foucault. Lastly, the paper illustrates how this nonbinary and nonlinear form of contemplative resistance can be practiced within the intensely neoliberal environment of higher education.
Share on socials

Register for the Conference

Register to attend the Conference, online or in person, starting from only $10! 

You will get unlimited access to sessions like this, 1 year FREE Resistance Studies Hub membership, which includes Journal of Resistance Studies, Resistance Studies Network community platform, and future events and activites. You will have the chance to learn, share, network, connect with Resistance scholars and activists from all around the world!

Register

Login

Forgot your password, or haven’t set it up yet?

Click here to reset your password.

submit a presentation, panel or workshop proposal, or paper for the award

Please select form to show

Send acceptance email to the author

Ask your institution to subscribe

Sign Up

Update status

Submit an abstract

Abstract Title
Name
Correspondence email
Enter the email you want to use for correspondence
Authors
ABSTRACT
Max 500 characters

Join the Resistance Studies Community

Are you a researcher or activist interested in nonviolent resistance?

We’re building a community of scholars, activists, and thinkers dedicated to understanding and advancing nonviolent resistance through research and action.

By subscribing to our mailing list, you will:

  • Stay updated on new research and articles that push the conversation forward.
  • Be notified of open calls for papers and get reminders about dates and deadlines.
  • Connect with a growing network of people who, like you, are committed to making a difference.

Our vision is to build a space for collaboration and collective growth. We are interested in hearing from you, learn about new perspectives, think about opportunities for more join initiatives and creative ideas to advance nonviolent resistance. All of this can be possible if we keep in touch with likeminded thinkers.

 Let’s build this movement together.

Sign Up to Our Email List

Name
Email *

Buy Issue

Email *
Amount *

Buy article

Email *

Sign Up

Please select form to show

Sign Up

Please select form to show

Apply for a custom subscription

What best describes you? *
Name *
Email *
Country

How can we help your members get access to our content? Do you need IP access? Tell us about your technical needs.

Your digital access needs

Finally, tell us a bit about yourself, how will access to the Journal benefit you, and why you need a fee price adjustment.

About you

Ask your institution to subscribe

1
2
3
4
Last Page
Full name *
Your email *
Institution *
The name of your University/ library/ institution

Please provide the email address of the contact person at your institution who is most likely to approve and bring forward your application. It could be a supervisor, librarian, head of department, depending on your institution's approval system.

Email of your institutional representative
Email of a contact person at your University or library
Role at your institution *
for example: student, lecturer, etc
ID Number at your institution
For example: student ID, library, etc

TIP: Tell you institution why you need this subscription. You may want to provide details about your research or studies, and why you believe this is a great journal to subscribe to.

Message

Once you submit, an email will be generated and sent to your institution.

Thank you so much, we hope you will be successful in your request, and that you will enjoy our journal. Finally, we hope you will be happy to join our community, stay in touch with us, and contribute to Resistance Studies.

Submit an article

1
Get started
2
3
Last Page

Before we get started

Thanks for considering a submission to the Journal of Resistance Studies! Before we get started, we just want to make sure that everything is ready. JRS receives more submissions than we can publish. As a journal for a relatively new academic field, it is important for us to publish texts that contribute to developing 'Resistance Studies' with theoretical ideas, high quality empirical material, interesting analysis, and/or cases from a wide spectra of societal contexts.

Does your article:

  • Have a clear focus on 'resistance' and how resistance influences power relations?
  • Contribute to our theoretical understanding of resistance, or is a better fit for the sociology of social movement field?
  • Include an abstract, citations, and a reference list?
  • Does it follow the guidelines in our policy statement?

If you have answered yes to these questions, we look forward to reading your submission. Let's go!

Type
Title
Correspondence email
Enter the email you want to use for correspondence about the submission
Authors
IS THIS SUBMISSION FOR AN UPCOMING SPECIAL ISSUE?
ABSTRACT
Min 500 characters
Upload full draft
Maximum file size: 7 MB
Upload an editable Word document

Anonymous version
Maximum file size: 7 MB
Upload an article that does not include authors' names and identification

Activate your Subscription

Select subscription *
Shipping Address
Add address if you select a print & digital plan
0.00

Sign Up

In order to create a subscription you need to create an account. You will need to verify your email address, and then you will be redirected to proceed with the payment. If you don’t find your email, please check your spam and promotion folder, and contact us if you need support.

If you already have an account, skip this step and login.

Name *
Email *

By creating an account, you consent to receiving email notifications and updates about the Resistance Studies journal and network. You can change your notification preference in the RSN site under 'account' settings.