Representations of neoliberal work in contemporary Francophone film

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Scott, B, 2023. Representations of neoliberal work in contemporary Francophone film. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

This thesis examines representations of neoliberal work and its broader context in contemporary Francophone film. The relationship between work and cinema is complex, not least because cinema has been historically associated with leisure time and therefore opposed to work in popular imaginaries. Influential critics argue that work often remains invisible in film, or that film necessarily reinforces hegemonic narratives surrounding work. This study reconsiders some of these assumptions as part of a broader interrogation of the relationship between cinema and work in the neoliberal conjuncture, probing the possibilities and limitations that contemporary cinema encounters in its attempts to represent and critique the workplace and its broader context. I draw upon a corpus of recent work-centred film which dramatises diverse environments, from working-class industrial production to white-collar management careers. This corpus has often remained unexamined in academic contexts, but represents a significant filmic response to neoliberal workplace upheavals that opens up important and novel perspectives on the relationship between cinema and neoliberalism more generally. I combine thematic and aesthetic analyses of these films with a sophisticated and nuanced theoretical framework that draws upon Marxian and Foucauldian influences. My close readings place film and theory into a productive dialogue that acknowledges the fundamental differences between them while casting light upon the potentialities implicit in reading them alongside each other. I argue that much contemporary cinema proves adept at critiquing neoliberal work, but struggles to move beyond this to put forth a positive vision of change. I also identify a number of works which break from this trend, maintaining a more pronounced sense of political hope while demonstrating an implicit awareness of their own limitations.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Scott, B.
Contributors:	Name Role NTU ID ORCID O'Shaughnessy, M. Thesis supervisor MOD3OSHAUMP https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1167-3214 Allwood, G. Thesis supervisor MOD3ALLWOG https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2564-7145
Date:	September 2023
Rights:	The copyright in this work is held by the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the author.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Arts and Humanities
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	23 Aug 2024 08:11
Last Modified:	23 Aug 2024 08:11
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/52071