Conclusion: Financialization, Spectral Absence and the Politics of Myth

Abstract

The conclusion suggests that financialization can only be experienced in a partial and fragmented manner. The everyday experience of financialization (as well as its media representation) thus leaves multiple “spectral absences” in terms of comprehension and perceptibility. Myths form a narrative means of articulating this fragmented experience of financialization. Yet, in so doing, the politics of myth vary largely, requiring careful analysis. While some myths focus attention on partial aspects of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), positioning these aspects as generalizing lenses through which the crisis is construed, others succeed in indicating their own “spectral absences”. The concept of “spectral absence” thus provides a key to assessing the politics of myth in the context of GFC narratives.