Die Formierung des neuen Sozialbürgers. Eine exemplarische Untersuchung von Subjektivierungswirkungen der Hartz IV-Reform ..

in Zeitschrift für Diskursforschung / Journal for Discourse Studies (2020), 2(7), 163-189

This paper traces how the endeavour to influence welfare state addressees’ sense of self through ›activating‹ labor market policies is reflected in the biographical action and account of self of a long ... [more ▼]

This paper traces how the endeavour to influence welfare state addressees’ sense of self through ›activating‹ labor market policies is reflected in the biographical action and account of self of a long-term unemployment benefits recipient. It is based on a qualitative longitudinal case study using a combination of discourse, institutional and biographical analysis (›subjectivation analysis‹). The exem- plary case study explores the shift away from the type of the social democratic welfare citizen towards the type of the liberal ›enterprising‹ subject demanded by the interpellations of the activating welfare state. The analysis demonstrates the methodological potential of subjectivation analysis by proving that while the subjects addressed by such interpellations do make the institutional demands and require- ments their own, this form of appropriation does not conform to the aims of active labour market pol- icy; it remains selective and can lead to a ›de-moralisation‹ of the individual’s relationship with the state, a loss of societal solidarity, and to social withdrawal. [less ▲]