Genio individuale o pratica sociale? Le mille facce della creatività

In the last few years there has been considerable attention on creativity seen from the point of view of several disciplines. This paper looks at the historical evolution of concept of creativity, by underlining its collective dimension (psychology and natural sciences especially contributed to this connotation). Until a decade ago, creativity was a marginal subject in sociological reflection, which from the initial stages has tended to focus mainly on the rational dimension of action. ‘Spread creativity’ is an effective key word to read some relevant phenomena of contemporary society: cultural economy, the rise of a new creative class, consumption as creative performance. In this context, I consider the condition of Italy, example of a ‘creativity without system’. Finally, I try to address the initial question: is creativity an expression of an individual genius or a social practice? The first definition is still maintained, but today the social dimension is prevailing. Recent studies actually underline the relevance of contextual components for creativity development. Creativity is an intersubjective value and contemporary societies are moved by a creative ethos. Creativity as a social motor requires further sociological inquiry, preferably carried out with qualitative and non­standard methodology.