The initial phase of the CRAFTWORK project has consisted in the undertaking of a preliminary, extensive literature review of the different strands of multi-disciplinary research concurring to the definition of neo-craft work, and the contextualisation of its societal relevance as an innovative form of work. This has been foundational to the execution of Work Package 1, which has resulted in the achievement of the first core objective of the project, consisting in the mapping, classification and description of neo-craft work across the EU, using data collected from digital platforms by way of digital methods. This has allowed to establish who are the main actors in the emergent context of neo-craft work in the EU area, where they are located, and how neo-craft work should be understood in relation to the urban/rural divide, leading to the development of a pan-European picture of neo-craft work initiatives across different sectors. In its second and current phase, the CRAFTWORK project is pursuing its second core objective (through Work Package 2), which consists in the in-depth investigation of the relationship between neo-craft workers' identity and their lived experiences of work in relation to 5 key dimensions: class and educational background; gender; race and ethnicity; life aspirations and occupational trajectory; social status. So far, qualitative research comprising of interviews, participant observation and ethnography has been conducted across 8 countries: Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Malta and Germany, including 40 interviews with neo-craft workers and producers. The project team comprises of the Principal Investigator and 4 postdoctoral researchers.
