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Abstract in English:
This thesis explores contemporary experiences of entrepreneurial knowledge work in emerging and rapidly changing areas of economy and society through a detailed ethnographic analysis of the motivations, social practices and changing experiences of a pioneering Coworking community in Melbourne, Australia. Coworking is a complex social phenomenon. Whilst ‘Coworking spaces’ are open plan office environments that mobile, independent knowledge workers share as places of work, ‘Coworking practices’ are the methods by which these independent actors choose to work in close proximity, interact socially and sometimes collaborate on shared projects. Since its emergence in 2005, the rapid global expansion of Coworking has been regarded as both an expression of, and response to, significant changes in how knowledge work is performed and organised. As the processes of globalisation and technological innovation continue to transform working practices and cultures, ‘Coworkers’ have been held up as early adopters of disruptive trends in mobile and distributed knowledge work, and ‘Coworking spaces’ have been regarded as emblematic sites within evolving entrepreneurial knowledge economies. These claims present Coworking spaces as compelling sites in which to conduct social inquiry.
Open Access? Yes
Publication Year 2018
English | Discipline Social Science