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Postmodern Reflections: Deconstructing ‘Risk’, ‘Health’ and ‘Work’

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Health and Work

Abstract

Following on from the previous analysis of risk discourses, this chapter presents the case for a radical rethinking of notions of risk. The limitations of the realist position, in which risks are presumed to be knowable and controllable through the application of scientific methods and rigorous management, are explored. The objectivity of this approach is revealed to be illusory, and the power relationships and moral classifications which underlie it are examined from a postmodern perspective. Exploring this perspective in more depth, the author emphasises the possibility of choice and resistance to discourses as individuals’ own lives and agendas unfold.

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Authors

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Norma Daykin Lesley Doyal

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© 1999 Nick J. Fox

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Fox, N.J. (1999). Postmodern Reflections: Deconstructing ‘Risk’, ‘Health’ and ‘Work’. In: Daykin, N., Doyal, L. (eds) Health and Work. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-27625-7_12

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