Rome Fellows Symposium (June 28, 2019)
RICHMOND UNIVERSITY ROME CENTER
PIAZZA S. ANDREA DELLA VALLE 6
00186 ROMA
TEL. +39 06 6875 296
Room: Classroom Y
9:00-9:30 Registration and coffee/tea/biscuits
9:30-9:50 Welcome
Rosanna Graziani, Dean of the Rome Campus, of Richmond the American International University in London
Ailsa Brookes, Senior Vice President, American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS)
Dom Alessio, Vice President of Richmond the American International University in London
Session 1: Religion & the Radical Right (chair: Ed Cohen)
9:50-10:10 Amanda ElBassiouny (California Lutheran University): “Intersectionality in Italy: Exploring the Interaction between Religious Identity and Gender Identity among Women in Contemporary Rome”.
10:10-10:30 Dominic Alessio & Robert Wallis (Richmond, London): “The Appropriation of Norse Religion by the Contemporary Radical Right”
10:30-10:50 Jill Swiencicki, Barbara Lowe & Maria Stella Plutino Calabese (St. John Fisher College): “The Civic Landscape of Moral Imagination: Public Space, Fascism, and Contemporary Rome”
10:50-11:00 Questions
11:00-11:30 Tea & coffee
Session 2: Politics & Economics (chair: Paul Rekret)
11:30-11:50 Edward S. Cohen (Westminster College) & Sabine Spangenberg (Richmond London): “Generating Global Norms for Development: The Role of International Economic Law”
11:50-12:10 Fred Dotolo (St John Fisher College): “The Political Philosophy of Cardinal Ercole Consalvi: Principles and Practical Problems”
12:10-12:30 Alexander Bertland (Niagara University): “Giambattista Vico and Gianvincenzo Gravina on the Role of Poetic Wisdom in Politics”
12:30-12:40 Questions
12:40-14:00 Buffet Lunch: Buddy, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 107A
Session 3: Music and Culture (chair: Sabine Spangenberg)
14:00-14:20 Marco Bracci (Richmond Florence): “Media, Italian popular music and the redefinition of Italian culture since the 1960s”
14:20-14:40 Paul Rekret (Richmond London): “‘Melodies Wander Around as Ghosts’: On Playlist Ambience”
14:40-15:00 Francesca Passeri (Richmond Florence): “From handcraft to luxury: branding Italian style…”
15:00-15:10 Questions
15:10-15:30 Tea/Coffee break
Session 5: Crime (chair: Rosanna Graziani)
15:30-15:50 Robert J. Meadows (California Lutheran University): “Developing Pedagogical Programs on Comparative Justice: Italy and the United States”
15:50-16:10 Gabriele Simoncini (Richmond Rome): “Global Perception of Identity and Community: the case of Italian Mafia”
16:10-16:20 Questions
16:20-16:30 Concluding Remarks: Professor Mary Robert, Dean of Liberal Arts
19:30 Dinner: Al Pompiere, Via di Santa Maria de’ Calderari 38, Roma
The Appropriation of Norse Religion by the Contemporary Radical Right
Dominic Alessio is Professor of History and Vice President of International Programmes at the American University London. Robert Wallis is Professor of Visual Culture and Associate Dean of MA Programmes at the American University London
Populist, nationalist politics are on the rise in Europe and America. Historically movements such as National Socialism in the late 1930s co-opted Norse Religion, drawing on the nineteenth-century völkisch movement, entangling problematic concepts of ‘folk’ or ‘race’ (the purity of Aryan blood) and nationhood (the holy German soil) with pagan religion and occult themes. In Britain and the United Sates today these themes of blood and soil have been reprised by Far Right movements which appropriate Norse mythology and other elements of pagan religions into their political ideologies. In the United States groups such as the Asatrú Folk Assembly and Wotansvolk are now some of the most numerically dominant of the diverse constituents of pre-Christian European religious customs (Gardell 203: 137) and have, subsequently, received scholarly attention. In this paper we examine instead specific cases of New Right Asatrú in Britain, such as The Odinic Rite and Woden’s Folk, and their connections with extremist politics. Having engaged critically with the way in which these groups co-opt Germanic and Norse paganism we then examine the tension between these ethnicist, ‘folkish’ groups and the more prevalent universalist, a-racial Asatrú groups who tend to ascribe to the broader liberal political values of wider society and who are equally concerned by the appropriation of Norse religion by the New Right.
Giambattista Vico and Gianvincenzo Gravina on the Role of Poetic Wisdom in Politics
Alexander Bertland is an Associate Professor of Philosophy, Niagara University
Gianvincenzo Gravina (1664-1718) and Giambattista Vico (1668-1744) shared an interest in the power and structure of mythical thought. In 1708, Gravina published Della Ragione Poetica in which he praised the ability of the ancient poets to create images and stories that could educate the people. In 1730, Vico published his second edition of the New Science which included a book on “sapienza poetica.” He analyzed the nature of mythical thought to show how it organized the first communities. Beyond this intellectual connection, there was also a personal connection. They both originally studied jurisprudence in Naples. While Vico remained there, Gravina moved to Rome in 1689 where he helped to found the Accademia dell’arcadia. Despite the similarities in their projects, Vico does not mention Gravina in the New Science. In his Autobiography, however, Vico claims he started a correspondence with him and they became friends. Vico became a member of the Accademia dell’arcadia and took the pseudonym Laufilo Terio. Vico was also charged by the viceroy of Naples with confirming that Gravina’s works were suitable for publication in Naples. While some work has been done on the intellectual connections between these authors, their personal connection and Vico’s role in the Accademia has not been closely studied. My project will involve going to the archives of the Accademia and other libraries associated with Gravina to explore the culture in which these philosophers operated and how they shared it.
“On ne verra que leur traces sur le sable” (One will see only their footprints in the sand)
Richard Bevan is an Associate Professor of Art, Design and Media at Richmond, The American International University in London and a Visiting Lecturer of Visual Communications at the Royal College of Art, London. Tamsin Clark is a bookseller, bookmaker and a Visiting Lecturer in Visual Communications at the Royal College of Art
La Genèse was an unrealised project of French auteur filmmaker Robert Bresson, an adaption of the first eleven books of the Bible from Adam and Eve to the Tower of Babel. This project was nurtured by Bresson for a period of thirty five years beginning with a commission from Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis in 1964. De Laurentiis was producing a port-manteau film of the Bible, also commissioning Orson Welles and Federico Fellini among others to produce segments. Bresson and his close collaborator Pierre Charbonnier spent 18 months working in Italy developing aspects of the film, including working with a team of gardeners to construct a Garden of Eden on the grounds of a villa outside of Rome. Since 2017 we have been gathering research related to this production. We have visited areas around Rome of importance to the project, including the zoo which plays an important part in the most well- known anecdotes about the filming process. Last year we received a research grant from Richmond to visit Paris, where Pierre Charbonnier’s notebooks relating to the film are kept in La Cinémathèque Française. Our paper will present our findings so far and also give historical and contextual information.
International Interreligious Dialogue: Recent Developments and Initiatives
Andrew “A.J.” Boyd is Professor of religious and church history at Richmond, the American University in London, Rome, Italy, and an International Fellow of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna
Reflecting on participation in three of the largest or most well-regarded international interreligious initiatives we will also ask the simple question: “With Interreligious Dialogue, is there nothing new under the sun?” After all, religious have been engaged in encounter – from violent conflict to peaceful dialogue – for millennia. Comparing direct experience with some of these new efforts and research into others, this presentation will offer both a status question of dialogue effort on the international level and offer insight into what, if anything, is genuinely ‘new’ in the new initiatives.
Media, Italian Popular Music and the Redefinition of Italian Culture Since the 1960s
Marco Bracci is Professor of Made in Italy: Italian Symbols from Espresso to Ferrari, and of Sociology of Italian Soccer, at Richmond, the American University in London, Florence, Italy
Since 2008 I have been researching on the cultural and social relevance of popular music in Italy. The strategic relationships between media and popular music in Italy since 1958 to recent Music Talent shows on Italian TV and to the new Rap and Trap scene, have contributed to re-define the notion of Italian culture within the country and abroad. On one hand, Italian TV and Radio performed a strategic function in making music popular and a “democratic” art form; on other hand, popular music became a cultural tool for the formation and re-definition of youth identities and Italian collective identity itself. In my research project I will analyze the above-mentioned features in order to shed light on Italian contemporary culture and to highlight the undervalued sociological role played by popular music in Italy. The research will deal with the following topics, with a particular focus on the 2010s:
- 1958 – Sanremo Festival and the international success of Domenico Modugno as an Italian symbol of the post-war reconstruction.
- 1960s – TV shows and Radio shows: the “creation” of youth identities through Anglo-American rock music
- 1970s – “Radio libere”, freedom of speech and “The Years of Lead” (“Gli anni di piombo”)
- 1980s – Videomusic and MTV. The importance of the “music to watch”
- 2000s to today – Modernization in music consumption: Spotify and the use of social media; the rediscovery of TV as the most powerful medium for communicating music. Italian Rap and Trap as new forms of expression and communication
Generating Global Norms for Development: The Role of International Economic Law.
Edward S. Cohen is Professor of Political Science at Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA, USA. Sabine Spangenberg is Professor of Economics and Finance ad Associate Dean of the Richmond Business School
This proposal is to begin a collaborative research project on the processes of institutional and normative development in the field of international economic law, with a focus on issues surrounding the challenges of development. Ed Cohen has been working in the area of the norms and institutions shaping international economic law for a number of years. Much of this work has focused on international trade and investment law, with a particular institutional focus on the work of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Sabine Spangenberg shares these interests and is currently pursuing research on a different United Nations agency, the Commission for Social Development, (CSocD) with these concerns in mind. Their goal in this research project is to construct a comparative study of these two institutions with the aim of understanding the similarities and differences in the ways they generate and diffuse norms and comparing their relative influence in those areas of international economic law that are concerned with the challenges of development. This work will be guided by a concern for the emergence of a form of “regulatory globalization” in which the ability to influence the law and policy of development is concentrated in the agency of a small number of powerful actors, who then imprint their norms and preferences on the resulting practices of international development policy.
The Political Philosophy of Cardinal Ercole Consalvi: Principles and Practical Problems
Fred Dotolo is Associate Professor of History at St John Fisher College, Rochester, NY, USA
I am examining the papers of Ercole Cardinal Consalvi, the Secretary of State for the Papal States from 1800–1806 and 1814–23. Although primarily acknowledged for his work as Pope Pius VII’s chief diplomat, my focus is on Consalvi’s political and economic reforms after 1814, and the political philosophy which motivated them. I argue his reforms were largely responsible for maintaining the stability of the Papal States amidst renewed revolutionary activity and indicated a concern with reform and stability. For example, he continued the centralizations of the French administrative system, but liberalized the Papal States’ economic policies to favor free trade and allowed the laity a larger role in governance through a consultative body. However, entrenched clerical interests in the bureaucracy, the zelanti, argued against such reforms on ideological grounds, claiming they were motivated by radical secularism and violated the Church’s role in guiding the Catholic faithful. In 1823, this faction succeeded in electing the conservative theologian, Cardinal Della Genga as Pope Leo XII. The new pope dismissed Consalvi from office and transferred him to the Prefect of the Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith, where he served until his death in early 1824. Consalvi’s successor as Secretary of State, Guilio Maria della Somaglia, reversed most of Consalvi’s reforms, which marked the ascendancy of the zelanti until the election of Pope Pius IX in 1846.
Intersectionality in Italy: Exploring the Interaction between Religious Identity and Gender Identity among Women in Contemporary Rome
Amanda ElBassiouny is Assistant Professor of Psychology at California Lutheran University
How does the deeply rooted traditions of Roman Catholicism, amplified by the proximity of the Vatican, impact the gender identity of women in Rome? Pope Francis (2017) stated “Unfortunately today we see how the figure of woman as an educator in universal fraternity is blurred and often unrecognized due to many evils that afflict this world and which, in particular, affect women in their dignity and in their role.” Therefore, what is the impact of the traditionalist views of women in the church, along with the shifting views of gender equality emphasized by Pope Francis and contemporary Italian culture on the self-perceptions of women in Rome? The purpose of this research study is to explore how the intersectionality of religious and gender identities of women in Rome impact their self-perceptions. Historically, women have not held positions of power in the Catholic church, which sends both explicit and implicit messages as to what a woman’s role ought to be. However, Pope Francis has spoken adamantly about the need to amplify women’s presence in different societal spheres, including at a political, economic, social, national, international, and ecclesial level. How does this seemingly shifting time for the perception of women in the Catholic church juxtapose with the stereotype of the feminine identity being synonymous with motherhood in Italian society? Women from Rome will be interviewed and surveyed on their perceptions of the intersection of their religious and gender identities in a traditionally patriarchal society heavily impacted by the presence of the Vatican.
Developing Pedagogical Programs on Comparative Justice: Italy and the United States
Robert J. Meadows is Professor Criminology/Criminal Justice at California Lutheran University
The prevalence of crime in many urban areas impacts quality of life, fear levels, tourism, and business practices. As a result, a need exists to identify situations conducive to violent and nonviolent crime. As a matter of definition, violent crimes are defined as crimes such as murder, robbery, gang violence, and physical assaults. Nonviolent offenses encompass property crimes such as theft of unattended property, pickpocketing and disorderly conduct. This research will apply Cohen and Felson’s routine activities theory (1989) in examining criminal opportunity. According to the theory three main requirements usually coexist for a criminal act. First, there must be a motivated or predator offender. Secondly, there must be a suitable victim or target. Third, there is a lack of guardianship or protection for intended victims. The research will focus on evaluating strategies to increase guardianship including police roles and community partnerships. The research will further assess the effectiveness of current crime prevention measures and laws in combating street crime especially in so called “hotspots” or high victimization areas. In teaching and researching crime, not only is it important to identify offenders, but to understand what works or doesn’t work in preventing victimization and target hardening. The ultimate research goal is to learn the best practices in crime prevention in high crime areas, by comparing policing and prevention programs from cities in the United States and other European cities.
From Handcraft to Luxury: Branding Italian Style …
Francesca Passeri is Professor of Psychology of Fashion and Luxury Brands and Wine Marketing, Richmond – The American University in London, Florence, Italy
The importance of “Made in Italy”, starting from its creation in Florence in the 1950s thanks to Giovanni Battista Giorgini up to the current global success of Italian icons such as Vespa, Gucci, Ferragamo, and Chianti (just to name a few), has increased over time. The perception of Made in Italy within the Country and on the international market has profoundly changed as well. The “Made in Italy” label has become a synonym for luxury, good taste, sense of the beauty and refined craftsmanship. The quality of the product itself is undoubtedly important, but the excellence of the manufactured item is not enough since “Made in Italy” should also be associated with high specialization and differentiation and with its propensity to innovation; for this reason it should be analyzed as an intangible asset. The main aim of my research project is to explore the appeal of “Made in Italy” as a global brand and the marketing/branding of “Italian Style” throughout the world. To this purpose, I will analyze important Italian companies in specific sectors – fashion, food, wine, leather, design and art – and discuss their innovative branding practices. The focus will be on key Italian cultural products, their significance and symbolism, the shift from handcraft to luxury, as well as the concept of “Country Branding” within the industrial, leisure, lifestyle, food and fashion industries.
‘Melodies Wander Around as Ghosts’: On Playlist Ambience
Paul Rekret teaches political theory at Richmond American International University in London
Looking to algorithmic curation of music on streaming platforms this presentation examines the ways in which, as an aesthetic form, the playlist unmoors contemporary popular music from whatever relation to figure or history it might have had, displaces narrative for texture, and unpacks the emotional blankness all this entails. It relates these aesthetic phenomena to the ways in which a more ambient musical form enables online streaming platforms to produce user data and targeted advertising with minimal friction. Where production and consumption tend towards being indiscernible, it seems that music begins to lose its distinct temporal distinction to become a mere part of the furniture.
Global Perception of Identity and Community: the Case of Italian Mafia
Gabriele Simoncini is a Professor of Political Science at Richmond, the American International University in London, Rome
The topic of the presented research covers the phenomena of globalization that impacted Italy and Italian society in different ways and to varying degrees. The scenario of an Italy under globalization exhibits a number of articulated, contradictory, and liquid developments. The historically different “Italys” continue to remain such, in spite of integration and “homogenization” dictated by globalization. Italy of the north is converging with global trends, playing a primary role in international markets. The south of Italy, also impacted by globalization, offers a different scenario of development. Several factors operate here, more or less relevant, with one remaining a key player: the mafia. The mafia has constructed its own very peculiar perception of identity and community, both about itself and society. This perception constitutes its essential being. Conjugating such perception expresses the mafia’s life and activities. In the present study Sicilian mafia Cosa Nostra is explored and analyzed in its essence and against the background of Sicilian and Italian Society.
The Civic Landscape of Moral Imagination: Public Space, Fascism, and Contemporary Rome
Jill Swiencicki, PhD, Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, St. John Fisher College; Barbara Lowe, PhD, Associate Professor of Philosophy, St. John Fisher College; and Maria Stella Plutino Calabese, PhD, Director of Global Education, Italian Language Instructor, St. John Fisher College
We are engaged in a comparative and global analysis of anti-racist reparative civic practices happening across Europe. Rome was initially a central area of study for us because of its resistance to critically interrogate its monuments of Fascism. In Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s “Why are so Many Fascist Monuments Still Standing in Italy?” she asks why Romans have been so comfortable among fascist pubic symbols and the fascist construction of public space. Yet along with the work of Laura Boldrini, president of the lower house of parliament, the mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, just recently renamed a series of streets named after Fascists who backed racist, anti-Semitic laws during the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini. We would like to understand a debate that is unfolding in Rome in contemporary time: that of leaders and citizens wrestling with the Fascist symbols of the past and they attempt a fragile and tenuous consensus on a civic morality for the present time. We will study and experience Roman public monuments from the period of 1940-1942, along with the contemporary debates about them. We three hope to secure an interview with members of mayor Raggi’s staff and leader Boldrini’s staff, along with other stakeholders in these conversations. We will also trace public discourse in news, magazines, online city blogs and other sources of response.
