Cultural sectors and Social economy: what collective forms of organization?[Secteurs culturels et ESS : quelles formes collectives d’organisation ?]

The main objective of this chapter is to question the types of organization of the cultural players of the Social economy. What are the collective forms of organization of these players? Why and how do they choose Social economy? Qualitative surveys were conducted with cultural players of Social economy located in the cultural or creative district of Les Olivettes in Nantes. These surveys highlight in particular two scales of collective organization of the cultural players of the Social economy: associative collectives of artists and the collaborative network in the district. The use of these collective forms can be explained first of all by the need to act collectively to survive economically, in particular by having access to professional offices and networks, but also by a collective culture rooted in certain artistic milieus and both spatial and affective proximity which bind the cultural players. Through the legal statuses (associative mainly) and values ​​(sharing, mutualisation, mutual support...), many cultural players are part of the Social economy, although most of them do not claim to be part of it, or even are not aware of belonging to it, justifying the interest of developing research that crosses Social economy and cultural sectors.