The New Spirit of CapitalismNew edition of this major work examining the development of neoliberalism In this established classic, sociologists Luc Boltanski and Eve Chiapello get to the heart of contemporary capitalism. Delving deep into the latest management texts informing the thinking of employers, the authors trace the contours of a new spirit of capitalism. They argue that beginning in the mid-1970s, capitalism abandoned the hierarchical Fordist work structure and developed a new network-based form of organization founded on employee initiative and autonomy in the workplace—a putative freedom bought at the cost of material and psychological security. This was a spirit in tune with the libertarian and romantic currents of the period (as epitomized by dressed-down, cool capitalists such as Bill Gates and Ben and Jerry) and, as the authors argue, a more successful, pernicious, and subtle form of exploitation. |
Contents
Management Discourse in the 1990S | |
The Formation of the Projective City | |
THE TRANSFORMATION OF CAPITALISM AND THE NEUTRALIZATION | |
Dismantling the World of Work | |
Undermining the Defences of the World of Work | |
The Revival of the Social Critique | |
The Test of the Artistic Critique | |
Postface | |
Notes | |