Title: Digging wider and deeper – revealing the hegemony and symbolic power of 'project' studies and practice

Authors: Anette Hallin, Tina Karrbom-Gustavsson

Addresses: Department of Industrial Management and Organization (INDEK), The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden. ' Flemingsberg – From Brains to Business, Alfred Nobels Alle 10, Floor 6, 141 52 Huddinge, Sweden

Abstract: Building on a brief illustration, this article discusses the need for new empirical fields and methods in project management research. This would not only provide novel insights into project practices and management, but would also entail questioning the hegemony (Gramsci, 1988) of project management and project research. We argue that the hegemony is upheld by, or perhaps even constructed through, the language and the ideal images of the area, developed by project researchers and used by project practitioners; adding to what could be called |the social power| (Bourdieu, 1991) of those involved in what are called |projects| and |project management|. It is also argued that the social power of those familiar with |projects| and |project management| is sustained by the silence of all those involved in similar practices, but who do not master the terminology of project work.

Keywords: project management; project research; project practice; hegemony; symbolic power.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2010.031879

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2010 Vol.2 No.1, pp.1 - 15

Published online: 27 Feb 2010 *

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