Shifting Capitalist Critiques: The Discourse about Unionisation in the Hi-Tech Sector
Drawing on Luc Boltanski's work on capitalist transformations we argue that recent hi-tech unionising features a new model of critique which combines tenets from both the social and the artistic critique. Hi-tech workers – cultured in the ethos and achievements of the artistic critique that pro...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group
2019-12-01
|
| Series: | tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/1107 |
| _version_ | 1797710888026767360 |
|---|---|
| author | Eran Fisher Ben Fisher |
| author_facet | Eran Fisher Ben Fisher |
| author_sort | Eran Fisher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drawing on Luc Boltanski's work on capitalist transformations we argue that recent hi-tech unionising features a new model of critique which combines tenets from both the social and the artistic critique. Hi-tech workers – cultured in the ethos and achievements of the artistic critique that protests the inhibition of creativity, and the lack of personal expression and authenticity prevalent in capitalism – seek to resurrect the social critique that protests the inequality, poverty, and egoism that capitalism entails. This creates an interesting dynamic of protest discourse since the social critique partly stands in contradiction to the artistic critique: responding to one entails ignoring the other. The analysis of interviews with leaders of unionisation efforts in global hi-tech firms elucidates the tension between the two clusters of critique and the attempts to overcome it. It also allows us to engage theoretically with Boltanski by highlighting the particular characteristics of the agents voicing the critique. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T06:58:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-32ddf29d88ce4246a645b89993dc4a49 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1726-670X 1726-670X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T06:58:49Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique |
| spelling | doaj.art-32ddf29d88ce4246a645b89993dc4a492023-09-02T23:52:01ZengPaderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research GrouptripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique1726-670X1726-670X2019-12-0117230832610.31269/triplec.v17i2.11071107Shifting Capitalist Critiques: The Discourse about Unionisation in the Hi-Tech SectorEran Fisher0Ben FisherThe Open University of IsraelDrawing on Luc Boltanski's work on capitalist transformations we argue that recent hi-tech unionising features a new model of critique which combines tenets from both the social and the artistic critique. Hi-tech workers – cultured in the ethos and achievements of the artistic critique that protests the inhibition of creativity, and the lack of personal expression and authenticity prevalent in capitalism – seek to resurrect the social critique that protests the inequality, poverty, and egoism that capitalism entails. This creates an interesting dynamic of protest discourse since the social critique partly stands in contradiction to the artistic critique: responding to one entails ignoring the other. The analysis of interviews with leaders of unionisation efforts in global hi-tech firms elucidates the tension between the two clusters of critique and the attempts to overcome it. It also allows us to engage theoretically with Boltanski by highlighting the particular characteristics of the agents voicing the critique.https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/1107capitalismcritiqueunionisationhigh-tech sectorhi-tech sectorluc boltanski |
| spellingShingle | Eran Fisher Ben Fisher Shifting Capitalist Critiques: The Discourse about Unionisation in the Hi-Tech Sector tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique capitalism critique unionisation high-tech sector hi-tech sector luc boltanski |
| title | Shifting Capitalist Critiques: The Discourse about Unionisation in the Hi-Tech Sector |
| title_full | Shifting Capitalist Critiques: The Discourse about Unionisation in the Hi-Tech Sector |
| title_fullStr | Shifting Capitalist Critiques: The Discourse about Unionisation in the Hi-Tech Sector |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shifting Capitalist Critiques: The Discourse about Unionisation in the Hi-Tech Sector |
| title_short | Shifting Capitalist Critiques: The Discourse about Unionisation in the Hi-Tech Sector |
| title_sort | shifting capitalist critiques the discourse about unionisation in the hi tech sector |
| topic | capitalism critique unionisation high-tech sector hi-tech sector luc boltanski |
| url | https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/1107 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT eranfisher shiftingcapitalistcritiquesthediscourseaboutunionisationinthehitechsector AT benfisher shiftingcapitalistcritiquesthediscourseaboutunionisationinthehitechsector |