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Fantastic Architecture and the Building of Europe in Valerio Evangelisti's Eymerich Fiction
No full textConcomitant with the horizontal expansion of EU territory through physical and political enlargement is a genealogy narrative, which emphasizes the ostensible roots of Europeanness in classical antiquity and Christianity. In the face of this sanitized genealogy, which lies at the heart of the European constitutional project, a range of alternative and more inclusive narratives circulate in contemporary European popular fiction. This paper focuses on a series of fantasy novels by the Italian author Valerio Evangelisti, featuring Inquisitor Eymerich as hero-investigator. In his highly popular novels, Evangelisti seeks to uncover layers of shared historical memory untainted with post-Enlightenment rhetoric.
The central architectural tropes of Evangelisti’s imaginary world are those of a castle and a convent, epitomizing the temporal and sacral power in European history. Each isolated from its outside environment and built on layer upon layer of subterranean chambers and corridors, the castle and the convent conceal a past quite different from the one championed in the official European genealogy. Memories of pagan worship and Islamic or Judaic learning – banished from the official rhetoric – continue to thrive, dark and threatening, in the subterranean strata of Evangelisti’s European edifice. Evangelisti thus provides an incisive critique of the official European story of origin, which threatens to suppress any alternative visions of European history or unorthodox avenues for European identity formation
Emilio Ghione and the Mask of Za La Mort
No full textThis study aims to examine the cultural impact of Emilio Ghione's Za La Mort films (1914-1924) on Italian culture. These films constitute a significant Italian combination of several early cinema genres and sub-genres, such as the apache film, the traces of which have almost entirely disappeared. More broadly, the changing interpretations of Za La Mort figure allow us to understand wider shifts in Italian and European popular culture.
The first chapter of the study considers the wealth of influences from European popular culture that Emilio Ghione merged into the apache films, such as the apache sub-culture in Paris. The second chapter of the study then reconstructs the Za La Mort filmography, most of which has now been lost, from film viewings and archival documents. The third chapter considers Emilio Ghione's Za La Mort novels and theatrical productions in the years 1922-1930, and Ghione's attempts to make Za La Mort a more Fascist and nationalistic figure. The fourth chapter considers the enduring figure of Za La Mort in Italian popular culture, especially in Raffaele Matarazzo's Fumeria D'Oppio and a 1940's fumetti series. The fifth chapter considers the audience reception of the Za La Mort films from the limited remaining evidence and, positioning the series between the Cinema of Attractions of the 1900s and the Classical Cinema of the mid-1920's, analyses how the Za La Mort films were constructed to please a predominantly working class audience that valued spectacular thrills and great acting performances over narrative consistency and stable characterisation.
This research re-establishes the importance of one of Italian cinema's most important film-makers of the silent period, and his enduring importance as a popular cultural figure in Italy
Technology readiness and digital gap for depicting socio-economic dynamics in society 5.0: a meso-level observation.
No full textDigital instruments, devices, and platforms are transforming socio-economic structures,
giving rise to new ecosystem configurations that demand sustainable, smart, and inclusive
growth strategies. This study adopts a meso-level perspective to analyze the critical role
of technology readiness and the digital gap in shaping entrepreneurial and innovation
driven ecosystems that are foundational to Society 5.0. By exploring how digital tran
sitions influence collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and value co-creation among groups
within regional ecosystems, the paper provides a systems-thinking model that highlights
the unique challenges and opportunities for sustainability. In contrast to previous research
that examines Society 5.0 from either individual or macro perspectives, this meso-level
framework addresses the multidimensional interactions that drive ecosystem resilience and
inclusive participation. It emphasizes the need for alignment in information, interpretation,
and cognition among stakeholders to foster long-term, cohesive growth. The proposed
model identifies core pillars for developing integrated, adaptable ecosystems that balance
economic and social value, guiding regions toward more inclusive and sustainable devel
opment pathway
Hermann Kant. Ein bio- bibliografisches Profil
No full textThe proximity to the power apparatus has cast dark shadows on the literary work of Hermann Kant, who is regarded as one of the most read authors of the GDR. Valerio Furneri embeds Kant's life and work in the all-German context of the 20th century and reinterprets his classics such as Die Aula or Der Aufenthalt. The author does not pursue the claim to rehabilitate the GDR, nor to trivialise Kant's role in it. Instead, the attempt is made to look at Kant's entire work from a temporal distance and to re-evaluate it. Through his works, Kant was able to accompany and depict not only the German-German history, but also European history.Die Nähe zum Machtapparat hat dunkle Schatten auf das literarische Werk von Hermann Kant, der als meistgelesener Schriftsteller der DDR gilt, geworfen. Valerio Furneri bettet Kants Leben und Werk in den gesamtdeutschen Kontext des 20. Jahrhunderts ein und interpretiert vor diesem Hintergrund Klassiker wie Die Aula oder Der Aufenthalt neu. Der Autor verfolgt dabei weder den Anspruch, die DDR zu rehabilitieren, noch Kants Rolle darin kleinzureden. Stattdessen wird der Versuch unternommen, Kants Gesamtwerk aus zeitlicher Distanz zu betrachten und neu zu bewerten. Durch seine Werke gelang es Kant nämlich nicht nur die deutsch-deutsche, sondern auch die europäische Geschichte zu begleiten und abzubilden
Hermann Kant. Ein bio- bibliografisches Profil
No full textThe proximity to the power apparatus has cast dark shadows on the literary work of Hermann Kant, who is regarded as one of the most read authors of the GDR. Valerio Furneri embeds Kant's life and work in the all-German context of the 20th century and reinterprets his classics such as Die Aula or Der Aufenthalt. The author does not pursue the claim to rehabilitate the GDR, nor to trivialise Kant's role in it. Instead, the attempt is made to look at Kant's entire work from a temporal distance and to re-evaluate it. Through his works, Kant was able to accompany and depict not only the German-German history, but also European history.Die Nähe zum Machtapparat hat dunkle Schatten auf das literarische Werk von Hermann Kant, der als meistgelesener Schriftsteller der DDR gilt, geworfen. Valerio Furneri bettet Kants Leben und Werk in den gesamtdeutschen Kontext des 20. Jahrhunderts ein und interpretiert vor diesem Hintergrund Klassiker wie Die Aula oder Der Aufenthalt neu. Der Autor verfolgt dabei weder den Anspruch, die DDR zu rehabilitieren, noch Kants Rolle darin kleinzureden. Stattdessen wird der Versuch unternommen, Kants Gesamtwerk aus zeitlicher Distanz zu betrachten und neu zu bewerten. Durch seine Werke gelang es Kant nämlich nicht nur die deutsch-deutsche, sondern auch die europäische Geschichte zu begleiten und abzubilden
Exploring the nexus between ESG risk variations and investment preferences: Insights from sustainable ETFs during the COVID-19 era
No full textThis study analyzes the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risk metrics on the financial performance of ETFs in the US and Europe from January 2020 to December 2023, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores the influence of ESG investment trends on ETF performance and investor preferences between equities and bonds in response to ESG risk profiles. Results show a positive correlation between higher ESG standards and financial performance, measured by the Sharpe ratio, with a marked preference for bonds amidst increased ESG risks. This highlights the critical role of ESG considerations in investment strategies and risk management, providing insights for sustainable finance
Do Perceived Riders’ Conditions Influence Online Food Delivery? Investigating Determinants of Online Food Delivery during COVID-19 Outbreak
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic and consumers’ perception of riders’ conditions influence the adoption of online food delivery. This research tries to extend the current literature on online food delivery (OFD) by adding two new perspectives not yet extensively investigated, namely COVID-19 pandemic and perceived riders’ conditions. We extend the technology acceptance model (TAM) with COVID-19 and perceived riders’ condition to empirically evaluate consumers’ behaviours in the OFD context. This paper adopts a quantitative and exploratory approach. Specifically, the study leverages the PLS approach to SEM using SmartPLS for model evaluation. The final sample of this study consists of 492 consumers in Italy. Our research shows that both COVID-19 and perceived riders’ condition negatively influence the adoption of online food delivery
Fashion and sustainability: Evidence from the consumption of second-hand clothes
No full textCompanies are becoming increasingly involved with sustainability as various stake-holders require them to orient their activities in line with sustainability and its princi-ples. In some industries, such as the food industry and the fashion industry, theserequests are particularly relevant because they are considered to be keenly related toenvironmental and social issues. In this study, by integrating Ajzen's theory ofplanned behavior with Schwartz's norm activation model, we seek to understand themain drivers behind a consumer's decision to engage in second-hand clothes buyingprocesses. Our results not only highlight the advantages of integrating variousmodels to obtain a more rounded perspective on ethical consumer motivations butalso enable the identification of relevant drivers of this specific behavior. Accordingly,the results might help managers in this industry be more effective in their sustainabil-ity activities, as those activities result in positive perceptions among consumers and,thus, might trigger second-hand clothes purchases
How to Engage the Crowds to Create Value? Evidence from the Pathfinder Arena Case
No full textReward-based crowdfunding has emerged in recent years as an interesting channel business that can leverage to obtain new financial resources outside the traditional ones. In this study, we explore how the creators of a reward-based crowdfunding campaign have engaged the crowd to create value and co-create knowledge to reduce both financial and market risks. Accordingly, we analyze the case study of the Kickstarter Campaign for Pathfinder Arena, a board game created by Giochi Uniti, an Italian Gaming Company. Through the lens of the social identity theory, we show that backers can generate the feedback processes needed to improve the product, when they want to belong in a community and when they want to interact with the creators. This research could have important implications for both researchers and future creators of reward-based crowdfunding projects, showing them the way to implement some instrument for involving the crowd to generate value
Artificial Intelligence and the Great Reset: Impacts and Perspectives for Italian SMEs Business Model Innovation
No full textThe rise of artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming the competitive landscape across various sectors, offering visionary enterprises new pathways to innovation development and to get a competitive edge. AI leverages data, analysis, and observations to perform tasks without hard coding, and benefits from self-learning and continuous improvement. We use Systems Thinking to frame how managers may adopt and integrate AI in business activities. We also investigate the motivations driving entrepreneurs to adopt AI solutions, and how they may impact on sustainable business model innovation, by administering a questionnaire to a sample of innovative Italian SMEs to get a comprehensive overview of the dynamics influencing AI adoption in business. This study sheds light on the intricate relationship between technology, sustainability, and corporate innovation. It offers both valuable insights for future research and for strategic managerial decisions on AI integration. Furthermore, it helps the development of innovative, sustainable business models in the evolving landscape of the Great Reset
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