As part of the seminar series "Activity and Professionalism
" organized by Pascal Ughetto, LATTS will welcome Léonie Hénaut (CSO). Her presentation will focus on the theme "Polyoccupationalism: Work and Professional Identity in the Post-Industrial Era."
Summary of the presentation
By combining the results of a large-scale quantitative study of artistic and cultural professions in the United States with those of several qualitative surveys of museum and heritage professionals in France and the United States, we will reflect on the transformation of work in the post-industrial era and its effects on professional identities. We will defend the idea that workers increasingly tend to consider themselves as engaging in several professional activities simultaneously and that this phenomenon—polyoccupationalism—is linked to the fact that work is becoming increasingly diverse and ambiguous. On the one hand, it is increasingly common to combine different activities in several occupational fields, especially in a context of widespread short-term contracts and entrepreneurship. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly difficult to describe the tasks performed within a single job using only one job title, particularly due to the greater flexibility of positions and the proliferation of project-based work. We will conclude the presentation by discussing the empirical scope of this analytical framework and the theoretical implications for the sociology of work and professions.
Léonie Hénaut
is a research fellow at the CNRS and a member of the Center for the Sociology of Organizations (CSO – UMR 7116) at Sciences Po. A sociologist specializing in work, organizations, and professional groups, she conducts research in various fields, including museums and cultural professions in France and the United States, and healthcare integration and coordination systems in France and the United Kingdom. After working for many years on the dynamics of professionalization and segmentation of professional groups, she is now interested in the transformation of work in the post-industrial era and its effects on professional hierarchies and identities.