Prof. Christina Garsten, University of Stockholm

The play of veils: Transparency, trust and delusion on the global market

Abstract:

At this seminar, I aim to show some of the ways in which the call for transparency is manifested in corporate life. In particular, I am interested in transparency as an organizational goal, a normative statement of a desired direction. The direction towards which processes of transparency aim is one of openness, visibility, and legibility. More so, it is one involving notions of cleansing and moral restoration. We take transparency to mean openness, visibility, and legibility But transparency as it appears in the world of business is also an imperative to act; it involves a pressure to reveal, to cleanse, and to manifest integrity. Hence, transparency makes up an assemblage of normativity that mobilizes actors to respond in certain ways. The assumptions and practices that go along with transparency are designed to gain trust in the corporation and at the same time to control social practices, ideas and the flow of information. Transparency urges us to think ethically in certain ways, and as such, transparency and the practices and technologies that support it are part and parcel of what Rose calls the power game of ‘ethico-politics’ (Rose 1999, p.188). Whilst Rose is focused on the ‘…self-techniques necessary for responsible self-government and the relations between one’s obligation to oneself and one’s obligation to others’ (italics in original) at the level of the individual, I am here more interested in the ethico-politics of organizations as collective actors, and the reworking of organizational actors towards responsible government and enhanced accountability. What exactly counts as good, ethical behaviour and responsible action is up for grabs, and subject to negotiation and contestation. It is this very polysemy of the concept of transparency that makes it such a powerful normative device.

Profile:

Christina Garsten’s research interests are oriented towards the anthropology of organizations, with focus on the globalization of corporations and markets and on emerging forms of regulation and accountability in the labour market and in transnational trade. Her current engagement is focused on the study of processes of organizing markets and what role international think tanks play in the fashioning of global markets.

All interested are welcome!