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We are Many: A Structural Critique of Partisan Identities (and Identity Politics)
No full textHarrison White’s reconceptualization of identity as dynamic, relational, and contingent outcome of social interaction and struggles for control offers a powerful alternative to the static, essentialist concept of identity that dominates contemporary social science. Building on White’s network-based framework, this article advances a structuralist critique of identity-based explanations — particularly the framing of partisanship as a “mega-identity”. It challenges the reification of partisanship by advancing three central critiques: (1) individuals are routinely reduced to a singular political identity, ignoring the multiplicity and contradictions of real-world affiliations; (2) statistical and survey-based measures of partisanship impose binary classifications (Republicans vs. Democrats) that obscure the heterogeneity and ambivalence in citizens’ political orientations, and (3) these simplifications fuel “us vs. them” psychological reductionism, where partisan identities are tautologically invoked to explain the very behaviors they help construct. Lab-based studies, in particular, overstate partisan divisions by prompting responses to caricatured identities, neglecting the pluralistic and relational nature of social life. Grounding identity in social networks and structural context, the essay calls for a more nuanced understanding of political behavior — one that recognizes the multiplex nature of affiliation and the role of elite polarization in democratic backsliding. Rather than blaming voters, the analysis highlights how elite-driven simplifications of identity distort representation and undermine the pluralist foundations of a democratic society
Difference and Necessity in Identity and Control
No full textHarrison White introduced numerous important and generative theoretical insights in his large body of work. In this piece, I focus on describing the impact and implications of two central contributions made in Identity and Control (1992 & 2008), which are also developed in other writings. The first is an articulation of the role of difference, decoupling, and disjuncture in producing meaning. The second is a revelation that certain social processes and theoretical concepts that have been conceived and analyzed as separate are reciprocally linked in ways that have important repercussions for individual behavior and macro-social outcomes
Learning to Think for Ourselves and the Work of Sociology: Ilaria Pitti in Conversation with Patricia Hill Collins
No full textIn this wide-ranging conversation with Ilaria Pitti, Patricia Hill Collins retraces the interplay between her personal biography and intellectual trajectory. She reflects on the evolution of intersectionality — its promise, risks of depoliticisation, and practical uptakes — while insisting that social-justice ethics remain central. The dialogue also explores “othermothering” as a historically Black, collective-care practice that can inform contemporary struggles in historical times marked by loss and powerlessness. Throughout, Collins positions sociology as a “border discipline” uniquely equipped to analyse structural power, cultivate reflexivity, and foster social change
Extended reality technologies and Metaverse: what implications for employees’ health and safety?
No full textThe paper investigates both opportunities and challenges in the field occupational health and safety (OSH) connected to the implementation of extended reality (XR) technologies and the Metaverse in the workplace. In particular, after addressing the current definitional ambiguities related to these technologies, the analysis considers their dual role as instruments of innovation and inclusion on one hand, and as sources of new risks for OHS on the other. Special attention is paid to the phenomenon defined as “unwanted virtual interactions” in virtual reality between the employee’s and the colleagues or people outside the organization (like costumers). Considering the nature and the functioning of such technologies, the paper argues that to make really effective the employer’s preventive system the participation of all its actors is crucial and must be emphasized, especially looking at the employee
Apprendere parole: un’app per l’ampliamento lessicale e la stimolazione grammaticale
No full textApprendere parole [Learning Words] is a free app designed according to the Logogenia method to help deaf students expand their knowledge of Italian vocabulary and strengthen their recognition of grammatical information, which is conveyed through the endings of lexical elements (nouns, verbs, adjectives) and the forms of functional elements (pronouns, prepositions, functional verbs). The app was developed to stimulate both vocabulary learning and grammatical experience in deaf students, but it is also useful for learners of Italian as a second language (L2).Apprendere parole è una app gratuita costruita secondo l’approccio del metodo Logogenia per consentire agli studenti sordi di ampliare la conoscenza del lessico dell’italiano e di consolidare il riconoscimento delle informazioni grammaticali, che sono veicolate dalle desinenze degli elementi lessicali (nomi, verbi, aggettivi) e dalle forme degli elementi funzionali (pronomi, preposizioni, verbi funzionali). L’app è stata elaborata per sollecitare l’apprendimento lessicale e l’esperienza grammaticale degli studenti sordi, ma è utile anche nell’esposizione all’italiano L2
Partecipazione civica: il nesso tra il collare e la sua commissione
No full textThe issue of civic responsibility and participation has been on the front burner for some decades now. So many agencies and social institutions have attempted to foster civic participation among citizens. Nigeria, being a developing nation, is groping with the low participation of citizens in politics. The Catholic Church has also not been left out in this quest to involve youths in politics. The major finding was that the Justice, development and peace movement (JDPM) has been instrumental in promoting civic responsibility among youths. It was, however, recommended that the government should synergize efforts in collaborating with the youth to have a responsible citizenry.La questione della responsabilità civica e della partecipazione è al centro dell’attenzione ormai da decenni. Moltissime agenzie e istituzioni sociali hanno cercato di promuovere la partecipazione civica tra i cittadini. La Nigeria, essendo una Nazione in via di sviluppo, si scontra con la scarsa partecipazione dei cittadini alla politica. Anche la Chiesa cattolica non è stata esclusa da questa ricerca volta a coinvolgere i giovani in politica. Il risultato principale è stato che il Movimento per la pace e lo sviluppo della giustizia (JDPM) ha svolto un ruolo determinante nel promuovere la responsabilità civica tra i giovani. Tuttavia, è stato raccomandato al governo di collaborare in sinergia con i giovani per formare una cittadinanza responsabile
Rom e sinti: identità dinamiche e scenari interculturali
No full textThis contribution aims to provide an overview of studies on the relationship between education and Roma and Sinti groups, with a particular focus on the Italian pedagogical debate. It highlights key issues and approaches, starting with an examination of the historical and social relationship between Roma groups and pedagogy, emphasising the stigmatisation of these groups and the various processes of devisibilisation present in both academic discourse and public policy. The text also reviews the main Italian research conducted over the past fifteen years, which has addressed educational issues relating to these groups from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Topics discussed include schooling, continuing education for young Roma and Sinti, social and educational work, and the promotion of collective memory as an opportunity for emancipation.Il contributo intende restituire lo stato dell’arte degli studi relativi al rapporto tra educazione e gruppi rom e sinti, con particolare riferimento al dibattito pedagogico italiano, evidenziandone tematiche e approcci di maggior interesse. Il testo apre con un inquadramento della relazione tra gruppi rom e pedagogia da un punto di vista storico e sociale, evidenziando tanto le dinamiche di stigmatizzazione di questi gruppi quanto i diversi processi di devisibilità degli stessi, sia dal dibattito accademico sia dalla scena delle politiche pubbliche. Vengono inoltre ripercorse le principali ricerche italiane che negli ultimi quindici anni hanno affrontato tematiche educative in relazioni ai gruppi rom e sinti da molteplici prospettive disciplinari. Tra queste vi sono la scolarizzazione, la formazione continua di giovani rom e sinti, il lavoro sociale ed educativo, la promozione di memoria collettiva quale occasione di emancipazione
Wittgenstein e il neuro-simbolismo: Come ChatGPT e il Tractatus risolvono un antico rompicapo logico
No full textRecent debates on Artificial Intelligence (AI) have raised not only technical questions but also profound philosophical ones, as this emerging technology continues to transform society. While reducing the time required to perform tasks ranging from simple to complex, it also prompts significant ethical, ontological, and epistemological inquiries. Philosophers and researchers are actively working to clarify key aspects, such as the ethical, moral, and legal implications of AI, while exploring the implicit relationship between humans and technology. This paper aims to delve into fundamental issues such as data representation and demonstrate how Wittgenstein's philosophical ideas, particularly those in his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, can contribute to the contemporary debate on AI. Focusing on neuro-symbolic AI, we explore both its technical and theoretical aspects, comparing connectionist and representational data models like Vector Symbolic Architectures (VSA). The paper emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue between philosophy and technology, offering a unique perspective on the relationship between human functions and their technological imitation. It also discusses Wittgenstein’s theories of propositions, logical space, and proposition compatibility, drawing parallels to AI's use of multidimensional vectors in logical inference. The work ultimately argues for the relevance of Wittgenstein's ideas in advancing AI, providing philosophical insights for both researchers and philosophers engaged in this technological field.I recenti dibattiti sull'intelligenza artificiale (IA) hanno sollevato non solo questioni tecniche, ma anche profonde questioni filosofiche, poiché questa tecnologia emergente continua a trasformare la società. Se da un lato riduce il tempo necessario per svolgere compiti che vanno dal semplice al complesso, dall'altro sollecita importanti indagini etiche, ontologiche ed epistemologiche. Filosofi e ricercatori stanno lavorando attivamente per chiarire aspetti chiave, come le implicazioni etiche, morali e legali dell'IA, esplorando al contempo la relazione implicita tra esseri umani e tecnologia. Questo articolo si propone di approfondire questioni fondamentali come la rappresentazione dei dati e di dimostrare come le idee filosofiche di Wittgenstein, in particolare quelle contenute nel Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, possano contribuire al dibattito contemporaneo sull'IA. Concentrandoci sull'IA neuro-simbolica, ne esploriamo gli aspetti tecnici e teorici, confrontando modelli connessionisti e modelli di rappresentazione dei dati come le Architetture Simboliche Vettoriali (VSA). L'articolo sottolinea l'importanza del dialogo interdisciplinare tra filosofia e tecnologia, offrendo una prospettiva unica sul rapporto tra le funzioni umane e la loro imitazione tecnologica. Discute inoltre le teorie di Wittgenstein sulle proposizioni, lo spazio logico e la compatibilità delle proposizioni, tracciando un parallelo con l'uso da parte dell'IA di vettori multidimensionali nell'inferenza logica. L'opera sostiene infine la rilevanza delle idee di Wittgenstein per il progresso dell'IA, fornendo spunti filosofici sia ai ricercatori che ai filosofi impegnati in questo settore tecnologico.
Focus − Insegnare Storia della musica: Università, Conservatorio, Scuole
No full textOn 30 October 2024, SagGEM – the music education group of the association «Il Saggiatore Musicale» – will devote its annual meeting to the topic of “Teaching Music History: Universities, Conservatories, Schools”. Held at the auditorium of the Opificio Golinelli in Bologna, the meeting featured speakers Luca Aversano, Lorenzo Bianconi, Michele Calella, Donatella Restani and Alessandro Roccatagliati, as well as discussants Antonio Caroccia and Luisa La Guardia.Juan José Carreras’s introduction, On the Necessity of Music Historiography, drew attention to a crucial issue: while music historiography has been in a state of perpetual crisis since the 1970s as part of a broader reflection on history and the humanities, this very crisis reinforces the need to reaffirm the value of history, historical consciousness, and the pursuit of new historiographical approaches and communication strategies. Luca Aversano, President of the Association of Italian University Music Teachers, echoed this sentiment in his contribution, Legitimising the Teaching of Music History in the Contemporary World: the Role of Universities, reiterating the urgent need to foster a genuine and deep interest in music history among younger generations.The issues at hand were addressed from different institutional perspectives, with contributions from schools, conservatoires, and universities. We are grateful to the authors who have made their texts available and we present here the work of Lorenzo Bianconi, Michele Calella, Donatella Restani and Alessandro Roccatagliati, together with short contributions from Antonio Caroccia and Luisa La Guardia.Il 30 ottobre 2024 il SagGEM – Gruppo per l’educazione musicale dell’Associazione «Il Saggiatore musicale» – ha dedicato il consueto Meeting annuale al tema “Insegnare Storia della musica: Università, Conservatorio, Scuole”. All’incontro, tenutosi nell’auditorium dell’Opificio Golinelli di Bologna, hanno partecipato come relatori Luca Aversano, Lorenzo Bianconi, Michele Calella, Donatella Restani, Alessandro Roccatagliati e come discussants Antonio Caroccia e Luisa La Guardia.Affidata a Juan José Carreras, l’introduzione (Sulla necessità della storiografia musicale) ha richiamato l’attenzione su un nodo cruciale: se dagli anni Settanta la storiografia musicale sembra attraversare una crisi permanente, nel quadro della più ampia riflessione sulla storia e sulle discipline umanistiche, proprio questa condizione rende ancora più urgente riaffermare il valore della storia, della coscienza storica e della ricerca di nuove prospettive storiografiche e strategie comunicative. In questa direzione si è posto anche il contributo del Presidente dell’Associazione fra Docenti universitari italiani di Musica, Luca Aversano (Legittimare l’insegnamento della Storia della musica nel mondo contemporaneo: il ruolo delle università), che ha ribadito l’urgenza di promuovere nelle giovani generazioni un autentico bisogno di conoscenza nel campo storico-musicale.Alle questioni sollevate sono state offerte risposte provenienti da differenti prospettive istituzionali, rappresentative di Scuola, Conservatorio e Università. Presentiamo qui, ringraziando gli autori che hanno messo a disposizione i loro testi, gli interventi di Lorenzo Bianconi, Michele Calella, Donatella Restani, Alessandro Roccatagliati, insieme ai brevi contributi di Antonio Caroccia e Luisa La Guardia