There was once a time when 'work' was inextricably linked to survival and self-preservation; where the farmer ploughed the land so their family could eat. But the sun has long since set on this idyllic tableau, and what was once an integral part of life has slowly morphed into a painful and meaningless ritual, colonising almost every part of our lives - endless and inescapable. In The Mythology of Work, Peter Fleming examines how neoliberal society uses the ritual of work (and the threat of its denial) to maintain the late capitalist class order. As our society is transformed into a factory that never sleeps, work becomes a universal reference point for everything else, devoid of any moral or political worth. Blending critical theory with recent accounts of job related suicides, office-induced paraia, fear of relaxation, managerial sadism and cynical corporate social responsibility campaigns, Fleming paints a bleak picture of neoliberal capitalism in which the ecomic and emotional dysfunctions of a society of wage slaves greatly outweigh its professed benefits.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Pluto Press
ISBN-10
0745334873
ISBN-13
9780745334875
eBay Product ID (ePID)
212166015
Product Key Features
Author
Peter Fleming
Format
Hardback, Library Binding
Language
English
Subject
Sociology & Anthropology: Professional
Type
Textbook
Dimensions
Height
215mm
Width
135mm
Additional Product Features
Place of Publication
London
Author Biography
Peter Fleming is Professor of Business and Society at Cass Business School, City University London. He researches the changing politics of capitalist employment relations, and has a Guardian column on this topic. He is the author of The Mythology of Work (Pluto, 2015).