Differentiation and solidarity in the making of creative professionalism: the case of Italy

This chapter examines how differentiation fosters inequality across creative professions while solidarity acts as a counterbalancing force, with a specific focus on mutual aid cooperatives as innovative yet complex organizational responses. The object of this study is creative professionalism, a hybrid occupational model that blends the intrinsic characteristics of creative work with the challenges of precarious conditions, weak institutional support, and limited collective action. Drawing on multiple research studies conducted over a decade, the authors investigate the mechanisms of differentiation within, between, and beyond professions and the forms of institutional, civic, and autonomous solidarity. Key findings reveal that mutual aid cooperatives, such as SMart-It, mitigate precarity by providing fair pay guarantees, professional development resources, and network-building opportunities. However, these cooperatives also inadvertently contribute to segmentation and inequality within their ranks. Differentiation is shown to drive exclusion and stratification, while solidarity offers a partial, adaptive response to market-driven vulnerabilities.