Borges, VeraCabral, Manuel Villaverde2016-11-222016-11-222016Borges, V., Cabral, M. V. (2016). The architect profession: Between excess and closure. In Paula Guerra and Pedro Costa (Eds.), Redefining art worlds in the late modernity (pp. 117-133). Porto: Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Letras978‐989‐8648‐86‐0http://hdl.handle.net/10451/25094This paper analyses Portuguese architects' career paths based on the results of a survey and a set of in‐depth interviews. Three main dilemmas were identified in the Portuguese case which we believe to represent major challenges for sociology of arts and sociology of professions. First, the centrality of artistic vocation of architects is responsible for the continuing excess supply despite the difficulties many of them face in gaining full access to professional practice. Second, classical competition with other professionals involved in the building industry relies mainly on the artistic dimension brought into it by architects. Third, this high level of inter‐professional competition accounts for both the reproduction of architectural ethos and the need to cooperate with other architects.porbook part