Laboring for the Man: Augmenting Authority in a Voluntary Association

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Research in the Sociology of Organizations

ISSN: 0733-558X
Series editor(s): Professor Michael Lounsbury

Subject Area: Organization Studies

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Document Information:
Title:	Laboring for the Man: Augmenting Authority in a Voluntary Association
Author(s):	Katherine K. Chen
Volume:	34 Editor(s): David Courpasson, Damon Golsorkhi, Jeffrey J. Sallaz ISBN: 978-1-78052-664-5 eISBN: 978-1-78052-665-2
Citation:	Katherine K. Chen (2012), Laboring for the Man: Augmenting Authority in a Voluntary Association, in David Courpasson, Damon Golsorkhi, Jeffrey J. Sallaz (ed.) Rethinking Power in Organizations, Institutions, and Markets (Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Volume 34), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.135-164
DOI:	10.1108/S0733-558X(2012)0000034008 (Permanent URL)
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Article type:	Chapter Item
Abstract:	Drawing on Bourdieu's field, habitus, and capital, I show how disparate experiences and “dispositions” shaped several departments’ development in the organization behind the annual Burning Man event. Observations and interviews with organizers and members indicated that in departments with hierarchical professional norms or total institution-like conditions, members privileged their capital over others’ capital to enhance their authority and departmental solidarity. For another department, the availability of multiple practices in their field fostered disagreement, forcing members to articulate stances. These comparisons uncover conditions that exacerbate conflicts over authority and show how members use different types of capital to augment their authority.