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Spaces of control and spaces of intimacy. The notion of off-work life at Médecins Sans Frontières

Author

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  • Ludovic Joxe

    (CEPED - UMR_D 196 - Centre population et développement - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - UPCité - Université Paris Cité, P2S - Parcours santé systémique - UCBL - Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 - Université de Lyon)

Abstract

What meaning does the notion of off-work have when employees, such as those at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), remain constrained by their uninterrupted work for months on end? Based on participant observation during a dozen of missions with MSF, and on the definition of off-work as a time to preserve intimacy, I argue that the notion of off-work is blurred at MSF on the one hand by the sharing of accommodation between colleagues, by the flexibility of working hours, by the presence of 24-hour safety rules or by the delegation of employees' health throughout their mission to the organization, but on the other hand by a motive underlying all the others: the issue surrounding the meaning of the word work, between constraining and fulfilling activity.

Suggested Citation

  • Ludovic Joxe, 2022. "Spaces of control and spaces of intimacy. The notion of off-work life at Médecins Sans Frontières," Post-Print hal-04502525, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04502525
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04502525
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