Learning to play (with) one’s role

This study will explore the way in which individuals manage to develop practical skills in spite of being a priori out of step with an institutional universe that is in contact with politics. Focusing on bodies and organizations aimed at fostering “regional social dialogue,” this article analyzes how artisan business representatives who are brought in to participate in these groups assimilate into them. While their social dispositions might initially seem at odds with those of other representatives who are more in line with the institution’s norms, artisans are not without their own specific resources. First, they rub shoulders, within their employers’ organization, with a certain number of cultural intermediaries who aid their socialization within the institution. Furthermore, through their experience, they put to use a variety of practical skills gained during their career (such as people skills or their understanding of how to play the political game), which are to varying degrees related to their activist propensity.