Rev. Parimalachchelvan, S.D.2025-11-202025-11-202021-11-27Proceedings of the PGIHS Research Congress PGIHS-RC-2020/21, P. 39978-955-7395-03-6https://ir.lib.pdn.ac.lk/handle/20.500.14444/6895Since neoliberalism is in the process of establishing ‘free, possessive individualism’ there is a need to understand the epitome of neoliberalism and work for alternatives. How do people challenge neoliberalism through critical episteme? This research study is a qualitative case study of activists in Sri Lanka who apply critical episteme in their activities and life. The research problem is what would be an authentic episteme for human emancipation? I call ‘Episteme of Neoliberalism’ as Mammonaization. Bastian Wielenga explains ‘mammom’ as ‘capitalism’ in his book, ‘Labour Serving God or Mammon’. He mentions that Karl Marx analyzed the laws and mechanisms by which capital rules and enslaves the whole of society and at certain points he denounces this slave – master as ‘Mammon’ or ‘moloch’. What kind of episteme prevails in the sphere of life? The successful entrepreneur, sovereign consumer and hard-working taxpayer, these are key players in the capitalist game today. How do we understand neoliberalism? Neoliberalism is a theory of political economic practices. Human well-being can be advanced to high stage by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms. It is clear that episteme created an institution of free market for the betterment of individual at the cost of structures and value systems. Though democracy, morality and so on are important, neoliberal episteme does not give adequate importance to it. For Harvey, neoliberalism is not only economic policy and hard-nosed politics but it actually frames the meaning of everyday reality for people. It is appropriate to note the neoliberal rationality of Wendy Brown. In 'Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution' Brown helps the reader to gain an understanding of dismantling of democracy and the rise of moral critique in the form of populism. What kind of episteme of love we have now under neoliberalism? Love of a mother made to measure under the mechanism of individualism, consumerism and so on. The critical conscious building through questioning and dialogue need to be reintroduced to own an episteme of emancipation. At present we have no other option than declare ‘Death of homo oeconomicus.’ Since episteme of neoliberalism made human beings to get addicted and die for mammonaization it is important to die as an economic man and the resurrected with the episteme of emancipation.en-USNeoliberalismDememmonaizationDeath of Homo OeconomicusArticle