FANTASY IN ECONOMIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL LIFE:

PROBLEM, THEORY, METHOD

A Workshop

Convenor: Jason Glynos

Date: Friday 21 May 2010

Place: University of Essex

Time: 10am-4pm

Web: http://www.essex.ac.uk/idaworld/fantasy_workshop_2.htm

There is a small but significant literature that explores economic and organizational life from the point of view of fantasies and affects. Sometimes this is done somewhat speculatively, sometimes this is done with attention to empirical detail, but whatever their style, such studies are often underpinned by normative worries – worries having to do with the perpetuation of relations of domination or exploitation, usually qualified as capitalist or statist relations of domination and exploitation. Yet specifying the way fantasies in economic and organizational life relate to questions of normative and ethical critique in detail and with nuance is not easy. This workshop is the second in a series of workshops whose aim is to build on the insights of existing studies to probe the possibilities and limits of such a task. The workshop series is an interdisciplinary venture located at the intersection of political and psychoanalytic/psychosocial studies, as well as economic sociology and organizational studies, though of course it can draw on many disciplines besides.  Collectively, the papers and discussion will contribute to the advancement of research in this general area, but will also be of interest and benefit to many postgraduate students and advanced graduate students.

Workshop Plan

Morning Session: Psycho-social Research

Simon Clarke (UWE) ‘Psycho-social Research: Relating Self, Identity, and Otherness’

Valerie Walkerdine (Cardiff) ‘The role of ph/fantasy in deindustrialised communities’

Bob Hinshelwood (Essex) ‘Unconscious Phantasy and Organizational Culture’

Discussants: Barry Richards (Bournemouth) & Hugh Willmott (Cardiff)

Afternoon Session: Fantasy in Public Discourse

Barry Richards (Bournemouth) ‘The Hatred of Consumption’

Hugh Willmott & Robin Klimecki (both Cardiff) ‘“Going Quietly?” Cooling out the Marks of the Financial Markets’

Discussants Simon Clarke (UWE) & Valerie Walkerdine (Cardiff)

Registration: All participants must register to reserve a place. Places are limited. You can register by sending your details to Sian Savage (ssavage@essex.ac.uk). Full programme details, including paper abstracts, and reading references, will be sent to registered participants only.

Registration Deadline: 14 May 2010

Fee:           Essex students and staff – free

         Non-essex students/concessionary – £10

         Non-essex staff/waged – £15

         Payment by cheque only, made out to ‘University of Essex’, and posted to:

         Sian Savage

         Centre for Theoretical Studies

         University of Essex

         Wivenhoe Park

         Colchester CO4 3SQ

         UK

This workshop series is organized under the auspices of the Centre for Theoretical Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Research Programme in Ideology and Discourse Analysis, University of Essex, and IDA World (www.essex.ac.uk/idaworld). The events are also supported by the Department of Government, the Department of Sociology, the Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies, and the Essex Business School.