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On the ideological and political significance of fantasy in the organization of work

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Abstract

As a site of wealth creation, work receives critical attention in many disciplines and from the point of view of a wide range of traditions of thought. In this paper I explore some themes relating to work and the organization of work from a psychoanalytic point of view. Drawing inspiration from the work of Lacanian scholars and others, I suggest that there are advantages to organizing such an exploration around the category of fantasy, specifically in highlighting the ideological and political significance of the way work practices are organized and understood. I also suggest that aspects of this approach demand further development to make more convincing the critical explanations it offers of workplace phenomena.

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Notes

  1. For a more comprehensive listing of this literature, with some critical discussion, see Glynos and Stavrakakis, 2008; Stavrakakis, 2008; Glynos, 2008a, 2010.

  2. For a similar set of ideas emerging outside the Lacanian orbit, consider Lynne Layton's notion of ‘normative unconscious processes’ (Layton, 2002, 2006).

  3. This final question applies with equal force to those who are content with the status quo as to those who would contest and change it.

  4. For related and insightful ways of thinking about mourning, see Butler, 2004; Hoggett et al, 2006; Ozselcuk, 2006; Leader, 2008a; Gabriel, 2008.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Bob Hinshelwood, Mike Roper, Yannis Stavrakakis, and Hugh Willmott for their feedback on earlier versions of this paper.

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  1. Department of Government, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK

    Jason Glynos

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Glynos, J. On the ideological and political significance of fantasy in the organization of work. Psychoanal Cult Soc 16, 373–393 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/pcs.2010.34

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