We focus on the issue of field-level change by discussing the transformation of the Italian wine industry. Conceptually, apart from different strands of institutional thought, we make particular use of the sociology of professions and the concept of boundary objects in the social studies of science and technology. By applying network analysis, we show the emergence of a new field structure where experts, consultants, ratings and rankings increasingly shape the field. Professional winemakers are of outstanding importance here, as they spread their expert knowledge throughout the network and connect wineries and, ultimately, their products in a hitherto unknown way.
Reference:
Marco Bottura, Raffaele Corrado, Bernard Forgues, and Vincenza Odorici. 2017. Professional emergence and boundary work in the Italian wine industry: ‘Nella botte piccola c’è il vino buono’, in Georg Krücken, Carmello Mazza, Renate E. Meyer, & Peter Walgenbach (Eds), New Themes in Institutional Analysis: Topics and Issues from European Research: 253–281. Cheltenham, UK: Elgar, first published July 14, 2017: http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781784716875.00014
