The legacy of slavery, subjectivity and work: intergenerational transmission and the subjective relationship to work in Guadeloupe

The study presented here examines the subjective relationship of workers to their work in the historical context. More specifically, it looks at the influence of the transatlantic slave trade on behaviours that have been transmitted across generations on the island of Guadeloupe (French West Indies) and have resulted in collective defence strategies used by today’s workers. These are examined through historical documents and by means of interviews with a psychodynamic approach. The observed elaboration of defence strategies in the context of paid work in Guadeloupe could, thus, partially be the result of the combined effects of the habits formed during the period of slavery and the ascription (as explained by Jean Laplanche’s theory of translation) that happens in the context of the family.