is the chief editor of Philonomist. After studying at France's ESSEC business school and graduating in philosophy from the École Normale Supérieure (ENS), she joined Philo Éditions (the editor of Philosophie Magazine) in 2010. A year later she oversaw the launch of the German version of the publication, Philosophie Magazin, for which she served as the editorial supervisor. Anne-Sophie is now in charge of Philonomist, the online media specially created by Philosophie Magazine for the world of business and economics.
Picture: © Serge Picard
Can there be joy at work? (2/2)
The French word for work, “travail”, comes from the Latin word “tripalium”, meaning “instrument of torture”. So it’s hard to see how work could be a source of joy. Yet, when we’re deprived of it, for example when we were asked to stay at home or work remotely, we realised that something was missing from our lives. This gave us the chance to realise that there are sources of joy at work. The question is, how can we use them? Anne-Sophie Moreau shares her perspective.
➤ Watch the first part of the video here.
In the previous video, we saw how joy can be found at work on an individual level. But there are forms of joy that are experienced collectively, and that are therefore more difficult to experience remotely, such as effervescence, or celebration.
Creative effervescence
The first form of collective joy is what sociologist Emile Durkheim calls “creative effervescence”. He speaks about it in his book, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, in which he explains that in the face of an external threat, communities enter a very particular state, which drives them to produce new ideas, allowing them to rise to the occasion. It’s about taking on adversity, confronting a new reality, which, of course, requires effort.
Durkheim describes this effervescence as a state of “c
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