Università degli studi di Torino: [email protected] - SIstema RIviste Open access
Not a member yet
8504 research outputs found
Sort by
“I Hear No Men Talking About It”: Male Stand-Up Comedians on Abortion
No full textIn his 2023 stand-up special, From Bleak to Dark, comedian Marc Maron wonders why men do not address the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which ended the constitutional right to abortion in the United States. The question of who is, or should be, entitled to take a stand on the right to abortion, is up for debate, but so is Maron’s claim that there are “no men talking about it.” Quite a few male comedians have presented their – fictitious or real – views on reproductive justice on the stand-up stage, not only in their post-Roe shows but also over the course of the past few decades. Stand-up comedy is a unique forum for dealing with themes like gendered vulnerability and power relations, even exposing views that would be considered offensive or even unlawful outside of the comedic context. Narratives produced and reproduced in society are popularized in standup comedy, and when they reach streaming services like Netflix, they reach huge audiences. Seeing stand-up comedians as potential public intellectuals (Kunze and Champion), this article explores how groups and communities are constructed and deployed in stand-up (Brodie; Chesters), focusing on how US male comedians navigate the social debates on the issue of abortion in their stand-up shows. While this article acknowledges that the “definition of reproductive justice goes beyond the pro-choice/pro-life debate” (Ross and Solinger 9), it will focus specifically on abortion for two reasons. First, extending the discussion to parental rights and reproductive justice more generally would require a longer discussion than is possible in the scope of this article, and second, focusing on abortion reflects more precisely what is found in the comedic material of male stand-up comedians in the United States. Through analyzing a few examples from US comedians, I argue that while stand-up comedy on the theme of abortion by men often reinforces patriarchal norms, attitudes, and stereotypes, it also provides a platform for contesting them. I also argue that this dual function operates through a rhetorical practice that positions men as outsiders. While this rhetoric often deems women responsible for both pregnancies and abortions, as “public intellectuals,” stand-up comedians have the potential to deconstruct narratives of unequal gender relations and related social discussions
Reader’s Report of Charles W. Chesnutt’s “The Marrow of Tradition” (1901)
No full textReader’s Report of Charles W. Chesnutt’s “The Marrow of Tradition” (1901)
Da Giansenio a Pascal: nascita e sviluppi del giansenismo dall’(im)possibilità dei comandamenti alla critica del potere prossimo
No full textThis essay stems from the origins of Jansenism, from the publication of Cornelius Jansenius’s Augustinus (1640) to the conflict between Jansenists and Jesuits (1641–1643; 1649–1653), culminating in the condemnation of the Five Propositions. It examines the meaning of the First Proposition on the impossibility of observing the commandments in Augustine and, through a comparison between Jansenius and Pascal, explores the same theme in the Provinciales and Écrits sur la grâce. It focuses on the notion of proximate power and the criticism of the Jesuits, as well as the alleged proximity to the Thomists. The analysis highlights recurring themes in Jansenius and Pascal, derived from their common Augustinian reference, but also notes some contextual and stylistic differences between the two authors
The waqf: a global financial instrument
No full textThe article investigates waqf as a classical Islamic institution that has evolved from a charitable endowment into a versatile contemporary legal and financial tool. It first reconstructs the terminological, historical, and structural features of waqf, clarifying its links with inheritance law, its main types (charitable, family, and mixed), and the roles of actors such as the waqif and the mutawalli. The analysis then adopts a comparative-law perspective to explore the relationship between waqf and the common law trust. It examines both functional and structural analogies – notably asset segregation, perpetuity, and the pursuit of public benefit – and reports on scholarly debates about possible historical connections between the two devices, while refraining from any deterministic genealogy. These similarities help explain the contemporary mobility and partial interchangeability of waqf and trust, as demonstrated by the growing reliance on trust instruments in jurisdictions where waqf regulation applies, including dynamic commercial environments such as Dubai. The core of the contribution focuses on India as a legal “laboratory” where common law, Islamic law, and Hindu law intersect. The article traces the historical development of waqf in the subcontinent, from its medieval implantation and colonial reconfiguration to the present framework shaped by the Waqf Act 1995, the Income Tax Act 1961 and the recent Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025. Attention is paid to governance arrangements (Waqf Boards and related institutions), fiscal treatment, and ongoing constitutional challenges to the 2025 reform. By combining historical and functional comparisons, the article demonstrates how waqf operates today as a complex, contested, yet promising instrument of ethical and sustainable finance, capable of supporting social welfare and poverty reduction while raising delicate questions about religious autonomy, minority protection, and the balance between state control and community self-government
Exploring the Potential of Islamic Finance in Bridging the Financial Inclusion Gap: A Systematic Review of Literature: Exploring the Potential of Islamic Finance in Bridging the Financial Inclusion Gap
No full textFinancial exclusion remains widespread and continues to constrain the livelihoods of low-income groups and other marginalised communities worldwide. Islamic finance has expanded rapidly in both Muslim-majority and non-Muslim countries as an alternative means of accessing capital and financial services that comply with the prohibition of riba (interest) and broader Sharīʿah principles. By incorporating fairness, risk-sharing, and contractual discipline into financial transactions, Islamic finance aims to foster a more stable and inclusive economic order. This article presents a systematic review of the literature on the contribution of Islamic finance to bridging the financial inclusion gap, with a particular focus on its effectiveness, constraints, and emerging opportunities. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, a structured search of the Scopus database identified 78 peer-reviewed articles published between 2013 and 2024, of which 29 met the inclusion criteria. The evidence suggests that Islamic banking, microfinance, social finance instruments, and Sharīʿah-compliant fintech can expand access to finance for both Muslims and non-Muslims seeking interest-free products, particularly in underserved market segments. Profit- and loss-sharing contracts, asset-backed modes of financing, and redistributive tools such as zakat and Islamic insurance (takaful) are highlighted as key mechanisms. At the same time, the review documents challenges, including low levels of Islamic financial literacy, regulatory and institutional constraints, uneven geographic penetration, and the phenomenon of financial migration, whereby customers shift from conventional to Sharīʿah-compliant institutions without necessarily increasing overall inclusion. The review concludes that, if appropriately supported by policymakers through enabling regulation, consumer protection, and investment in digital infrastructure, Islamic finance can complement conventional finance in reducing financial exclusion and advancing inclusive and socially just economic development. Future research should deepen comparative analyses across regions and products, and explore how Islamic finance can better serve women, youth, and micro-entrepreneurs facing multidimensional exclusion and inequality
Antiochia o Costantinopoli? Il dilemma di Libanio nelle epistole del libro V
No full textThe contribution analyses the epistles in Libanius’ Book V with the rhetorician’s requests sent to officials, physicians, and friends to intervene with the imperial court to make the move to Antioch definitive. In 354 d.C. Libanius left Constantinople for Antioch alleging health problems. The epistles shed light on Libanius’ restlessness to settle in Syria, with a crescendo of petitions in the winter of 355 d.C., a consequence of the requests to return to the capital received by the rhetor. The epistles illustrate Libanius’ strategy to achieve the goal, the network and the Antiochene connection at court and the role reserved by the rhetorician to Datianus, Olympius and Anatolius.
Keywords: Libanius, epistles book V, requests for help, Antioch, Constantinople
Il contributo analizza le epistole del libro V di Libanio inviate a funzionari, medici ed amici con le richieste di intercessione alla corte imperiale per rendere il trasferimento ad Antiochia definitivo. Nel 354 d.C. Libanio lasciò Costantinopoli per Antiochia adducendo problemi di salute. Le epistole mettono in luce l’inquietudine di Libanio per rimanere in Siria, con un crescendo di richieste nell’inverno del 355 d.C., una conseguenza delle istanze di rientrare alla capitale ricevute dal retore. Le epistole illustrano la strategia di Libanio per conseguire l’obbiettivo, il réseau e la connessione antiochena a corte ed il ruolo riservato dal retore a Daziano, Olimpio ed Anatolio.
Parole chiavi: Libanio, epistole libro V, richieste di aiuto, Antiochia, Costantinopol
"Stasi e turbolenze del mare" nella poesia di Vittorio Sereni
No full textIf the lake is a recurring element in Sereni's first collection of poems Frontiera, in Diario d’Algeria, in Gli strumenti umani, and especially in Stella variabile –which is linked to the language of navigation right from its title– the water element most present and charged with meaning is the sea. This not only constitutes a real locus of poetry but offers to the poet possibilities for phenomenological representation of his own psychic and emotional alterations. Furthermore, the lacustrine setting represents a time of calm and serenity, while the sea comes to assume from time-to-time meanings charged with restlessness, anguish, inadequacy and discomfort. Se il lago è un elemento ricorrente nella prima raccolta di poesie di Sereni Frontiera, nel Diario d’Algeria, negli Strumenti umani, e soprattutto in Stella variabile –titolo che si lega al linguaggio della navigazione– l’elemento idrico più presente e carico di significati è il mare. Questo non solo costituisce un vero e proprio luogo della poesia, ma offre al poeta possibilità di rappresentazione fenomenologica delle proprie alterazioni psichiche ed emotive. Mentre l’ambientazione lacustre rappresenta infatti un’epoca di calma e serenità, il mare viene assumendo di volta in volta significati carichi di inquietudine, angoscia, inadeguatezza e disagio