Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2019

The Spirit of Capitalism According to the Michelin Company

Anthropology of an Industrial Myth

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Addresses key debates in urban anthropology (including urban change and gentrification) through the lens of a French industrial city
  • Discusses the mythos of the "moral entrepreneur" in relation Michelin, a global company deeply intertwined with the culture of Clermont-Ferrand
  • Examines the fragility of the spirit of capitalism in the light of rapid, global changes to industry, trade, and the urban landscape, along with people's continued faith in it

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Urban Anthropology (PSUA)

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Introduction

    • Corine Védrine
    Pages 1-20
  3. The Construction of a Myth

    • Corine Védrine
    Pages 45-69
  4. Reified Types of Myth and Company Ritual

    • Corine Védrine
    Pages 71-81
  5. Transmitting the Spirit

    • Corine Védrine
    Pages 111-149
  6. Conclusion

    • Corine Védrine
    Pages 209-230
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 231-235

About this book

The city of Clermont-Ferrand in central France is inextricably linked to the global tire company Michelin—not only by the industrial, social, and economic realities that tie employees to employer, but also by a multi-generational, regional belief in the company’s entrepreneurial mythos, the so-called “Michelin spirit.” Since the 1980s, transformations in capitalist systems have challenged the Michelin ideology: the end of corporate paternalism, the reduction of the work force, and a new wave of managers have left employees in the region feeling the sting of abandonment. Even in the face of these significant changes, however, the ethnographic enquiry at the heart of this book testifies to the enduring strength of the “spirit of capitalism”: even as the bonds between employees, companies, and their regions are undergoing significant transformation, entrepreneurial myths endure—in part in fear of the end of a secure, organizing structure. 

Authors and Affiliations

  • LAURE-EVS Laboratory, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Lyon, Vaulx-en-Velin, France

    Corine Védrine

About the author

Corine Védrine, Ph.D., is Researcher at the LAURE-Environnement-Ville-Société (CNRS) laboratory and Lecturer at the National Superior School of Architecture in Lyon, France.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Spirit of Capitalism According to the Michelin Company

  • Book Subtitle: Anthropology of an Industrial Myth

  • Authors: Corine Védrine

  • Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Urban Anthropology

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96610-6

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-96609-0Published: 01 October 2018

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-07224-7Published: 13 December 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-96610-6Published: 15 September 2018

  • Series ISSN: 2946-2436

  • Series E-ISSN: 2946-2444

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 235

  • Number of Illustrations: 3 b/w illustrations, 7 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Social Anthropology, Urban Studies/Sociology

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access