Organization-Representation
Work and Organizations in Popular Culture
- John Hassard - University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK
- Ruth Holliday - University of Leeds, UK
Representations in Hollywood movies, ethnographic and documentary films, children's literature and the popular and `quality' press replicate the power structures they supposedly describe and consequently help shape contemporary realities. This volume offers rich insights into the relations between culture, power and work. It goes beyond such purely ontological questions to show convincingly that a critical analysis of the relationship between popular culture and the nature of organizational life enhances our understanding of both.
`This is a unique, fascinating and valuable treatment of material and issues which have been ignored in 'mainstream' organisation studies. Read this and you will never again watch an episode of Casualty, The Bill or Silent Witness without boring your companion with critical commentary on the portrayal of hierarchy, sex role stereotyping, power relations, the role of authority figures and dysfunctional rules' - Human Resource Management Journal
`This worthwhile collection gathers together a series of essays dealing with the representation of social organizations in the popular media...The quality of analysis in all the contributions to this volume is consistently high, and the material covered is extensive. The book will prove useful on media/cultural studies courses as well as those concentrating on the sociology of organizations' - European Journal of Communication