Artistic and Creative Labour. Network for the Study of Practices of Work and Organisation within the Cultural and Creative Industries

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hannes Krämer
• Subject Area: Sociological Theory
• Term: from 2016 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 324318513

Current changes in the working world pose a challenge to analytical concepts in sociology, to the extent that traditional delineations of the term "work" have slipped into crisis. The creative and cultural industries in particular show signs of pivotal transformations. Serving as early indicators of general trends in gainful employment, these specific economic fields are in the vanguard of current industrial developments. While the importance of the creative and cultural industries has been pointed out by a variety of studies, systematic analyses of their field of practice remain rudimentary. The proposed network aims to, firstly, establish systematic connections between the empirical studies of its individual members by means of a comparative approach, with the goal of categorising characteristics of the working practices and structures of the creative and cultural industries. It thereby aims to advance a contemporary definition of "work". The network's activities are, secondly, geared towards locating specifically German discourses in broader international contexts, and towards integrating newly outlined positions into the international discussion around creative and cultural work. The combined results of this cooperation will be published in a book.

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks