Blog 1 - 'I Am 'Great Man', Hear Me Roar'


Mallon’s argument is indicative of Boltanski and Chiapello’s ‘projective city’, in that his comments about the future of work in Waterloo’s tech sector require a similar ‘shift’ away from the traditional model of work as defined by the ‘projective city’. As we venture from an industrial economy towards a knowledge economy, the success of businesses and workers alike will be dependent on their ability to adapt to the type of work that needs to be done in the future.

Thus, the type of ‘power’ that would be most appropriate for the enhancement of an individual actor within a ‘projective city’, would be network power. Boltanski and Chiapello speak often about the ‘great man’ (the ideal worker in the ‘projective city’), and one of the characteristics they discuss is his ability to engage others, to forge more connections, so that once one project ends, he has more projects in the pipeline.

I must admit though, that the Utopian vision put forth by Boltanski, Chiapello, and Mallon, worries me for a number of reasons. Pulling from author Melissa Gregg, our understanding of ‘work’ is still very much rooted in an ‘industrial economy’ mindset, and in an era where work has become largely decentralized, how exactly will society handle such a shock to its system? Current labour laws are structured around the standard employment relationship (standardized working hours, workplace permanency), yet the sense I get from Boltanski et al. is one of ‘forced pracarity’. Is there a plan in place for issues like housing, debt, welfare provision, etc.? Does there have to be one?

If you’d like a glimpse into the future of decentralized working and living conditions, then check out this video. It’s an eerie representation of the ideal ‘mobile’ worker that Boltanski and Chiapello describe.

Comments

  1. Kenny SedgewickFebruary 10, 2019 at 4:27 PM

    Hey Adam, Great post.
    I also got the sense of this great and intelligent man that Boltanski and Chiapello speaks of existing in the 'Projective City' and I too agree that the best way to harness the talent of individuals is by Network Power.

    You brought up an interesting point addressing the safety nets or protocols behind some of these networks within a projective city and if they exist. I found it interesting how the weight of the work and responsibility can be distributed among many characters which brings up the factors of fairness and justice. The work can be better split up with more heads to brainstorm, while having all parties involved in decision making allows relatively low status within the entire project itself; ultimately creating a fair playing field for the individual. On the other hand, justice based on decision making is difficult to pin on any one individual within the project, allowing for more risk and vulnerability that a 'projective city' would be exposed to.

    I agree that the justice behind decision making needs to correspond with the safety nets and protocols that emphasize honest work and individual contribution. Perhaps a logistical system that keeps all separate additions that can hold individual contributions accountable back to the decision. I also enjoyed the video !

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