Les espaces de coworking comme clubs ? Créativité et entre-soi dans les espaces collaboratifs spécialisés dans les secteurs culturels et créatifs

This article aims to contribute to the analysis of the socio-economic organization of cultural and creative professionals clustered in collaborative workspaces. To do this, the hypothesis of the club, considered as a voluntary association of individuals around resources shared exclusively between selected members, is tested in the case of coworking spaces specializing in the cultural and creative industries. Based on qualitative investigations in 30 spaces in Nantes and Grenoble, the article shows that these places are like clubs, thus highlighting some of their realities: the importance of relational networks in the daily life of these spaces, the existence of a selection process by co-option for new members in order to preserve a high-quality work environment, and the challenge of balancing collective dynamics characterized by social conformism in the stimulation of creativity.