“We Have Two Engines, and We Must Keep Them Both Running”: The Combination of Institutional and Symbolic Resources in the “Socio-Emotional Organizing” of Solo Self-Employed Workers

The rise of solo self-employment has led to the emergence of increasingly broad categories of workers in search of collective representation, who find no support either in trade unions or in employer organizations. Based on the case of Redacta, an informal group founded in Italy and composed of solo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of contemporary ethnography 2024-10, Vol.53 (5), p.689-720
Main Authors: Bottalico, Andrea, Murgia, Annalisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activism
Collective representation
Emotions
Grass roots movement
Labor unions
Publishing industry
Resource mobilization
Self employment
Social movements
Symbolism
Workers
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Summary:The rise of solo self-employment has led to the emergence of increasingly broad categories of workers in search of collective representation, who find no support either in trade unions or in employer organizations. Based on the case of Redacta, an informal group founded in Italy and composed of solo self-employed (SSE) workers in the publishing industry, the article contributes to the debate on Resource Mobilization Theory and New Social Movements by showing that, along with other resources typically available to social movements and activist groups, it is mainly through the combination of institutional and symbolic-performative resources that a process of grassroots organizing—that we call socio-emotional organizing—can be successfully triggered, especially in the case of particularly underrepresented groups of workers, such as the SSE.
ISSN:0891-2416
1552-5414
DOI:10.1177/08912416241269990