In this provocative and ambitious study, Jennifer Karns Alexander explores the growing power of efficiency in the post-industrial West. Examining the ways the concept has appeared in modern history -- from a benign measure of the thermal economy of a machine to its widespread application to personal behaviors like chewing habits, spending choices, and shop floor movements to its controversial use as a measure of the business success of American slavery -- she argues that beneath efficiency's seemingly endless variety lies a common theme: the pursuit of mastery through techniques of surveillance, discipline, and control.
Six historical case studies -- two from Britain, one each from France and Germany, and two from the United States -- illustrate the concept's fascinating development and provide context for the meanings of, and uses for, efficiency today and in the future.
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In this provocative and ambitious study, Jennifer Karns Alexander explores the growing power of efficiency in the post-industrial West. Examining the ways the concept has appeared in modern history -- from a benign measure of the thermal economy of a machine to its widespread application to personal behaviors like chewing habits, spending choices, and shop floor movements to its controversial use as a measure of the business success of American slavery -- she argues that beneath efficiency's seemingly endless variety lies a common theme: the pursuit of mastery through techniques of surveillance, discipline, and control.
Six historical case studies -- two from Britain, one each from France and Germany, and two from the United States -- illustrate the concept's fascinating development and provide context for the meanings of, and uses for, efficiency today and in the future.
Imprint | Johns Hopkins University Press |
Country of origin | United States |
Release date | April 2008 |
Availability | Expected to ship within 12 - 17 working days |
First published | 2008 |
Authors | Jennifer Karns Alexander |
Dimensions | 229 x 152 x 22mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Hardcover |
Pages | 256 |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-8018-8693-5 |
Barcode | 9780801886935 |
Categories | |
LSN | 0-8018-8693-7 |