Care, Justice, Protest and the Politics of Creative Work: Towards a Multi‐Scale Theory of Cultural Activism

ABSTRACT Sociological studies of creative work have frequently discussed the precarious and unequal nature of cultural production and labour. Parallel strands of research, however, show how creative work can also be a site of care politics, political protest and creative justice pursuits that not only sustain solidarity and community within precarious environments but also link cultural production to wider social and political struggles. However, while addressing similar concerns, these different bodies of work have only been in sporadic conversation with each other. This paper therefore reflects on key points of connection between care‐ and justice‐based scholarship of creative work, while also linking these discussions to a burgeoning literature on (occupational) activism in the creative industries. I argue that to properly harness arts and culture for broader political protest and movements also requires addressing the labour conditions and inequalities in the cultural sector itself. Thus, in the conclusion of the paper, I call for a multi‐scale theory of cultural activism that unites the everyday politics of care in creative work, justice‐based approaches to policy and institutional change in the cultural industries and arts' role for broader social movements. By bringing together concerns around the organisation and experience of creative work with cultural workers' broader political engagements, such a framework seeks to position arts and culture as a catalyst for more caring, equitable and sustainable futures.