Since its introduction by Adam Smith, the narrative of people as homo economicus has heavily shaped our economic institutions. Feminist economists have challenged this reductionist view of people and their economic relations, by showing that economies are instead embedded in social relationships and depend heavily on values contrary to selfish interest, such as love, reciprocity, solidarity and acceptance of laws. (2)

Other than being a universal truth, the concept of homo economicus seems to have acted more as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Judith Butler showed how the binary gender identities of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ are not fixed or stable essences but defined by the continual repetition of a hegemonic script. In this cycle of repetition, we can find opportunities for difference and iterations of the new. (3) If we see gender as a performative concept, we can see homo economicus in the same way, that is, as a malleable social identity.

In fact, behavioral research has shown how simply by thinking of ourselves as consumers, we trigger self-interested behavior that drives division, competition and perceptions of scarcity. (4) The language of greed and utility that defines the narrative of homo economicus has actually reshaped who we think we are and how we should behave. But if we depart from the idea that this behavior is merely mirrored after a hegemonic and continuously repeated script, then we can also write this script anew.