ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses one of the distinctive features of occult economies as defined by the Comaroffs: the appropriation and commodification of human beings and their productivity. The focus on human capital that may often form a feature of the corporate workplace has a certain irony to it, for it tends to be accompanied by an emphasis on the beneficial consequences of disposing of substantial parts of that human capital by means of downsizing. There are certain parallels between the zombie and the corporate body of the university, labouring to further the interests of the market forces controlling it. Zombies are not in a position to object to their situation, since they exist only to carry out the commands of their owners. In present-day corporate environments, employees' spiritual resources can sometimes be perceived as sources of energy to be harnessed for commercial purposes. The parallels between various contemporary employees and zombies encompass the practice of outsourcing.
