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Gianni Iacovelli, I Mal di testa di Stendhal. Roma e lo Stato Pontificio nella prima metà dell'Ottocento
Get PDFVers le passé, vers un abîme. L'apocalisse profonda in La Nuit des temps di René Barjavel = "Vers le passé, vers un abîme". The Deep Apocalypse in La Nuit des temps by René Barjavel
No full textThe article aims to explore the narrative structures of La Nuit des temps (1968), a pillar of modern French science fiction and one of the finest works by writer, journalist, screenwriter and film critic René Barjavel. Clearly influenced by the tension of the Cold War and the space race, Barjavel creates a work that is simultaneously apocalyptic and dystopian, thanks to a unique mise en abyme and the consequent plot arrangement across two different time planes, connected by the same spatial setting. After outlining the essential features of Barjavel's biography, which is less well-known in Italy than that of his Anglo-American colleagues, the main purpose of the essay is to investigate (also from a comparative perspective) his narrative portrayal of the major concerns of the 1960s. Implicit yet scathing, for example, is Barjavel's critique of destructive atomic weapons and the increasing human dependence on machines. Foreseeing the development of artificial intelligence, he even imagines the birth of a society in which emotional ties are determined by an "ordinateur central". The novel also anticipates May 1968 protests in France, while a potential war to come over space colonization seems to be still relevant today. Attention will be also given to the media representation and the potentially revolutionary role they play in the novel. Furthermore, the work will be read through an interpretative key based on the depth paradigm, recently explored by Niccolò Scaffai. In line with the current revival of a certain "abyss literature", the narrative structure of La Nuit des temps is based on a vertical κατάβασις into spatial depths, simultaneous with a swirling descent into temporal chasms
Raccontare "bene" le storie della Cina: un'analisi preliminare del contributo teorico di Chen Xianhong = Telling China's Story Well: A Preliminary Analysis of Chen Xianhong's Theoretical Contribution
No full textIn recent years, Chinese scholars have advanced various theoretical proposals that serve as epistemological foundations for the production and dissemination of strategic narratives crafted by the Chinese government. The present paper uses the works of Chen Xianhong, one of the most appreciated narrative theorists in China, as a case study to examine this phenomenon. It highlights how these theories support the telling of Chinese 'good' stories in line with the official discourse promoted by the Party-State. To this end, Chen Xianhong manipulated the so-called 'transportation theory' and employed narrative 'engineering' to craft 'tales' capable of engaging foreign audiences, thereby enhancing the country's discursive power
El ciberpunk mexicano en dos ficciones breves: creación y cuerpo más allá de lo humano = Mexican Cyberpunk in Two Short Fictions: Creation and the Body Beyond the Human
No full textThe aim of this work is to show a particular vision of science fiction as a hyperbolic fictional text about an extratextual universe, and with this basis reflect on the way in which two short fictions, the cyberpunk tales "Para Skim" (1997) and "Conversaciones con Yoni Rei" (1998) by Mexican Pepe Rojo, addresses two issues related to the transcendence of the human in Mexican science fiction: the creation, as a practice resulting from an artificial intelligence, and the transformation of the body as an explicit negation of the prefixed idea of the human. The nuclei of meaning of these stories reflect in extremis on the way in which we relate to reality from the media, and point to different approaches to the body and its violation. The proposal of Rojo, developed from the neoliberal Mexican reality of the 90's, can be recovered as a questioning of current daily life by questioning aspects such as virtuality, the use of artificial intelligence and hyperconnectivity
Migrating for Change: How Polish Feminist Activists Turn Oppression into Action Abroad
Get PDFOver the past decade, feminist activism has significantly expanded globally, responding to increasing gender-based violence and repressive state policies. This article investigates the migration of Polish feminist activists to the UK, specifically examining how oppressive policies targeting reproductive rights, exemplified by Poland's Black Protests and Women's Strike, have influenced their decisions to migrate. Drawing on qualitative research from 21 in-depth interviews, the study uncovers complex migration motivations that blend economic necessity, personal safety, and political defiance. Utilizing "embodied resistance" as a conceptual framework, it argues that migration constitutes a strategic extension of feminist activism, enabling Polish feminists to sustain and expand their advocacy abroad. The study also explores intersectional dimensions of migration, highlighting how race, class, and legal status shape activists' experiences and opportunities for engagement. Ultimately, it contributes to transnational feminist scholarship by reframing migration not merely as escape but as deliberate, politically motivated resistance that reinforces global feminist solidarity and activism.AKNOWLEDGMENTSThis article was written as part of the research project “Political Activism of Poles in Great Britain,” conducted at the University of Gdańsk and funded by the National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki, Poland), grant no. UMO-2020/37/B/HS6/01748/Z-2020/37/B/HS6/01748/3
Constrained Cooperation: Activist Politicians and Their Engagement With Social Movements in Protest and Parliamentary Arenas
Get PDFThe article contributes to the study of the intersections between institutional and non-institutional politics through an analysis of politicians from activist backgrounds who continue to cooperate with social movements while in office. Previous research on institutional activism and dual militancy has paid inadequate attention to the differences between politicians and civil servants in this respect even though these two groups of actors face differing constraints and opportunities for promoting movement agendas within political institutions as well as for participating in movement activities such as protests. The article maintains that to best understand the relationship between these 'activist politicians' and social movements, it is necessary to consider the micro, meso and macro levels alike. In other words, the overall relationship is affected by the politicians' identities and role properties, the organisational characteristics and dynamics of movements and parties, in addition to structural and cultural factors. The empirical case discussed in the article concerns migrant rights activism in Finland in the late 2010s
Critical Knowledge and the Neoliberal University. Reflections in the Light of the Work of C. W. Mills, Olùfémi O. Tàíwò, Kevin Ochieng Okoth, and the Positional Sociology
Get PDFThis article offers a critical reflection on the role of the social science scholar within the neoliberal university, interrogating the epistemic, institutional, and political constraints currently shaping the production of knowledge. Drawing on C. Wright Mills's The Sociological Imagination, the paper engages with three further key contributions: Olùfémi O. Tàíwò's Elite Capture, Kevin Ochieng Okoth's Red Africa, and the collective volume Sociologia di posizione by de Nardis, Petrillo, and Simone. These works provide a conceptual framework for analysing the processes through which critical knowledge is co-opted, depoliticised, or rendered ineffectual. The article focuses on two prevailing dynamics: the hegemony of managerial rationality, which subordinates research to metrics of productivity and competitiveness; and the proliferation of symbolic forms of critique devoid of substantive political impact. In response, the paper explores the possibility of reclaiming the scholar's role as a situated and responsible actor, capable of reconnecting knowledge production with broader social struggles. The experience of the Italian network Sociologia di posizione is presented as a concrete attempt to collectively organise epistemic and material resistance, and to restore a public, transformative function to the social sciences