Dilemmas of vulnerability in Indian education NGOs: Neoliberal subjectivity, emotions, and class‐based employment hierarchies in Delhi

Thornton, Richard

Abstract

Neoliberal discourse seems to simultaneously demand Delhi's education NGOs to foreground social emotional learning that promotes emotional vulnerability and requires educational leaders to passionately present as “resilient” entrepreneurs who must not let emotions influence their capacity to lead. This article ethnographically analyzes the relational dynamics in these NGOs and argues that the complexity of navigating this subjective neoliberal dilemma reproduces class‐based employment hierarchy in NGO leadership, hindering NGO aims to further social justice.

Citation

Thornton, R. (2025). Dilemmas of vulnerability in Indian education NGOs: Neoliberal subjectivity, emotions, and class‐based employment hierarchies in Delhi. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 56(1), Article e12520. https://doi.org/10.1111/aeq.12520

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 10, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jul 9, 2024
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jul 13, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 13, 2024
• Journal: Anthropology and Education Quarterly
• Print ISSN: 0161-7761
• Electronic ISSN: 1548-1492
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 56
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: e12520
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aeq.12520
• Keywords: affect, India, entrepreneurialism, subjectification, education
• Publisher URL: https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aeq.12520