Drawing boundaries, constructing critique A study on the working conditions, values, and strategies of workers in architecture and design in the Netherlands and the UK

One of the key contradictions in the contemporary world of work can be found between the rising expectations from and values ascribed to work (such as the desire for self-expression and autonomy) and the flexibilization and de-standardization of work, which are exposing a growing number of workers to precarity, making these expectations and values less attainable. This thesis investigates these contradictions in the Creative Industries, which are often thought to be at the forefront of such developments.
The first part of the mixed methods study is concerned with the question of preferences and work-value orientations of creative workers, based on a vignette survey of (self)employed designers and architects in Netherlands and the UK. The study finds both material and immaterial job aspects to be important for creative workers, contrary to literature which suggests a rejection of material values.
The second part of the thesis explores the question of how creative workers seek to fulfil their preferences in spite of the precarious conditions they are exposed to, by using semi-structured interviews. The study discusses several strategies, their potentials as well as obstacles: the strategic use of employment forms, changing attitudes towards work and collective strategies. The thesis contributes theoretically and empirically to the critical literature on the creative industries, and on work and subjectivity in contemporary capitalism in the wider sense, by highlighting the processes of questioning of the place and importance of work in our lives.