Andrey Felipe Sgorla is an Assistant Professor of Didactics and Methodologies for Intercultural Education in the Department of Social, Political, and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Siena. He holds a PhD in Social Sciences (Brazil) and a PhD in Learning and Innovation in Social and Work Contexts (Italy). His doctoral theses, situated within the debate on neo-artisanal economies, examined the transformations of work and artisanal entrepreneurship in the craft beer market through ethnographic studies in Brazil, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. His research offers a broader reflection on emerging forms of work and contemporary careers that develop beyond traditional models, highlighting the search for meaningful trajectories and innovative ways of experiencing work in post-industrial societies.
His current research interests are structured around three interrelated axes within contemporary craft studies. The first axis examines how craft practices function as spaces for identity formation, cultural appreciation, and intercultural coexistence. It investigates how diverse cultural origins, migration experiences, and gender identities shape meaning-making, learning processes, and craft entrepreneurship experiences. The second focuses on career transitions and emerging professional pathways, analysing how non-linear trajectories, creative work practices, and hybrid career models develop in response to digital and green transitions, particularly within neo-craft economies. The third examines craft knowledge and hybrid learning ecologies, investigating how embodied repertoires and artisanal practices intersect with digital platforms, algorithmic systems, generative AI, and sustainability transitions. Together, these axes offer an integrated perspective on how learning, authorship, value, and professional identities are being reconfigured in multicultural and increasingly digitised craft sectors.
His experience includes postdoctoral fellowships at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, in collaboration with the National Center for Future Biodiversity (NBFC), and at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. He has been a visiting researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon (Portugal), and at Sheffield Hallam University (UK), as well as a visiting professor in the doctoral programs in Sociology at the Federal University of Pelotas (Brazil) and in Law, Economics, and Commerce at the University of Vic (Spain).
His research has resulted in two doctoral theses, books, book chapters, and articles published in leading journals of pedagogy, anthropology, and sociology. He has also presented at international conferences in 15 countries and collaborated with international research groups.