Author Meets Critics
Author Meets Critics
Wednesday, 9 July 2025: 19:00-20:30
Location: ASJE022 (Annex of the Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences)
RC52 Sociology of Professional Groups (host committee) Language: English
The volume Professionalism and Social Change: Processes of Differentiation Within, Between, and Beyond Professions (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), edited by Lara Maestripieri and Andrea Bellini, investigates the profound transformations reshaping the world of professions in the context of critical change processes such as the post-industrial transition, globalization, and digitalization. Applying the analytical framework labelled WBB (Within-Between-Beyond), this book offers a multidimensional approach to the dynamics of professional differentiation and the evolving relationship between professions and society.
This session invites commentators to discuss with the authors the main debates along three dimensions: the 'within' dimension, which addresses fragmentation processes within professions as an expression of growing differentiation in working conditions and status among professionals; the 'between' dimension, which explores the tensions between various professions and their potential for competition or collaboration within changing professional systems; and the 'beyond' dimension, which examines how social change influences professionalism and, conversely, how professional change impacts society.
Critics will evaluate the applicability of the WBB model in various national and professional contexts, with particular attention to the evolving dynamics across a range of established and emerging professions. The discussion will explore how professionals are redefining the boundaries of their expertise in response to these transformations, highlighting the growing role of professionals in shaping and negotiating their positions within both institutional and market-driven environments.
The panel will include distinguished discussants alongside the editors and contributing chapter authors. Together, they will give rise to a lively debate on the future of professionalism in the face of global and local challenges.
This session invites commentators to discuss with the authors the main debates along three dimensions: the 'within' dimension, which addresses fragmentation processes within professions as an expression of growing differentiation in working conditions and status among professionals; the 'between' dimension, which explores the tensions between various professions and their potential for competition or collaboration within changing professional systems; and the 'beyond' dimension, which examines how social change influences professionalism and, conversely, how professional change impacts society.
Critics will evaluate the applicability of the WBB model in various national and professional contexts, with particular attention to the evolving dynamics across a range of established and emerging professions. The discussion will explore how professionals are redefining the boundaries of their expertise in response to these transformations, highlighting the growing role of professionals in shaping and negotiating their positions within both institutional and market-driven environments.
The panel will include distinguished discussants alongside the editors and contributing chapter authors. Together, they will give rise to a lively debate on the future of professionalism in the face of global and local challenges.
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Oral Presentations