Mythology of Work: How Capitalism Persists Despite Itself

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 paranoia, fear of relaxation, managerial sadism and cynical corporate social responsibility campaigns, Fleming paints a bleak picture of neoliberal capitalism in which the economic and emotional dysfunctions of a society of wage slaves greatly outweigh its professed benefits.

Author: Peter Fleming
Publisher: Pluto Press (UK)
Published: 06/01/2015
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.30w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780745334868

Review Citation(s):
Choice 10/01/2015

About the Author
Professor Alastair D. Couper began his career as a Ships Officer and qualified Master Mariner. He then became a Research Scholar working on Pacific Studies at the Australian National University before returning to the UK to take up academic posts at the University of Durham, followed by the University of Cardiff and the World Maritime University in Sweden. His books include Voyages of Abuse (Pluto Press 1999), Seafarersâ (TM) Rights (Part One) Oxford University Press 2005, and Sailors and Traders (University of Hawaii Press) 2009. He is on the Board of Seafarersâ (TM) Rights International._x000B_Hance D. Smith specialises in Marine Geography and Marine Policy including the development and management of marine fisheries_x000B__x000B_Father Bruno Ciceri is representative of the Apostleship of the Sea International (Vatican City), Chairman of the International Christian Maritime Association, and is a member of the Board of Seafarersâ (TM) Rights International. He has worked for many years caring for seafarers and fishers in several countries of Asia. He has published on sea fishersâ (TM) conditions and human rights.

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