Jun 6, 2016
Cultural Globalization - Spring 2016
Mar 30, 2016
Globalization, Supranational Dynamics and Local Experience
European Sociological Association
RN 15 Global, Transnational and Cosmopolitan Sociology
Mid-Term Conference
“Globalization, supranational dynamics and local experience”
15-16 April, 2016, Milan (Italy)
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
One of the main
challenges that sociology and social sciences face today is to understand how
individuals, collective actors and structures cope with the dilemmas, tensions
and ambivalences of modern societies embedded in supranational dynamics. This
interim meeting of RN 15 on global, transnational and cosmopolitan sociology
calls for papers dealing theoretically, methodologically and empirically with
issues related to the transnational dimension. We welcome all manner of papers
that deal with how the local, the transnational and the global are entwined and
construct the meaning of one another, and how individuals, organizations or
states manage this predicament for instance by emphasizing a cosmopolitan
outlook or by cherishing local culture. We also encourage papers that deal with
the current intensification of migration and asylum seeking in Europe from the
perspective of local-global entanglement.
Within the conference (programme), I will give the
following lecture.
Double Boundary and Cosmopolitan Experience in
Europe
Pierluca Birindelli
This
contribution aims to open up the debate about national, European and cosmopolitan identity through an interpretation of Simmel’s double boundary
dialectic: human beings are
boundaries and only those who stand outside their boundary can see it as such. One
of the difficulties of defining oneself as European stems from what could be
called the “double Other” (intra- and extra-European) diachronic recognition process.
Exploring the possible/impossible cosmopolitan meta-synthesis can identify certain
traits of the cosmopolitan experience in Europe. Furthermore, a critical
interpretation of the intellectual, aesthetic and romantic representation of a
“Europe without Europeans” suggests that travelling to or within the Old World
(North–South; East–West) does not necessarily mean crossing social and cultural
boundaries. Therefore the cosmopolitan globetrotter might not be the
best “broker of knowledge” in our globalized world. As for the mental life of
the metropolis represented by Simmel, in a G-world even socio-psychological
life might degenerate into a series of defensive mechanisms. The boundaries
could become the walls of an overinflated self: a social actor who fails to
mediate between objective and subjective culture. Clearly, a cosmopolitan
individual can cross national boundaries. Nevertheless, it is difficult to find
evidence of any real transcending of class barriers and physical rather than
mythical divisions. It would appear that, if and when
they do occur, transcultural travel experiences are not necessarily
trans-social.
Key words:
Boundary, Simmel, Europe, Cosmopolitan, Transcultural, Trans-social
Mar 16, 2016
MY TRAVEL PARADIGM: A PRELUDE (by Matt Ouimette)
It all began in May of 2011 when I was
studying abroad in Florence under a man whose name rings familiar to college
students across the world- Pierluca Birindelli. Pierluca approached education
with much more freedom than the typical college professor. There was
rarely a defined topic on a paper, no page minimum or maximum (or suggestion
for that matter) and most astounding of all- papers could be handwritten. In a
class of American students accustomed to a strict adherence to the syllabus and
detailed study guides, there was a glaring disconnect…
… The course I enrolled in with Professor
Birindelli was titled Identity and Culture in Italy: A Comparative
Approach. The course centered on identity and awareness, specifically
during the passage from youth to adulthood. Identity to find purpose in life
and awareness to understand how that purpose fit into a global environment. I
cannot claim to have understood the entirety of these concepts at just 21 years
old, but I never stopped trying.
I
had caught the travel bug.
To satisfy my need for adventure, I sought
out a career in college admissions. If you haven’t seen the Tina Fey movie,
admissions counselors are assigned a territory to recruit prospective students
based on a region of states such as the Mid-Atlantic or New England.
Fortunately, I was able to land a position with a territory spanning Chicago to
Miami, allowing for unlimited travel within my jurisdiction. Nearly five
years after my abroad experience I have logged close to 50,000 miles and met
people from all over the world, witnessing firsthand how travel can shape both
identity and awareness. There are numerous surface reasons why travel is
beneficial, however, I have identified three underlying reasons that inspire my
wanderlust.
- I want to know.
- I want to perpetually push the limits of my comfort zone.
- I want to be a Global Citizen.
Feb 29, 2016
A Tale of Two Cities: Florence and Rome from the Grand Tour to Study Abroad
A Tale of Two Cities: Florence and Rome from the Grand Tour to Study Abroad
1st Tuscan Anglo-American Festival in Florence
Florence, 9 march 2016 – Palazzo Vecchio, Salone dei cinquecento (10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
In North American society, travel and cultural interchange have always played a central role in the education of citizens. Travelling abroad has frequently represented the opportunity to define one’s identity in American culture, and it is precisely for this reason that the United States has constantly striven to renew and maintain cultural and economic relations with the rest of the world.
Until the end of the nineteenth century, travel abroad, particularly in Europe, signified personal and cultural enrichment for Americans. The history and culture of the Old World served as a source of inspiration for the construction of customs and habits for the citizens of the New World. Over the course of this century, therefore, numerous accounts and novels were born, inspired by the experience of travel, and even today such literature continues to beckon generations of young people overseas.
Within this context, from the beginning of the early twentieth century, several North American universities began to incorporate a period of study abroad into their educational curricula. The IRPET Report of 2013 highlighted the fact that Italy is considered a favourite student destination, while among Italian cities, Florence and Rome attract the majority of foreign students above all.
This conference discusses the myth that surrounds these two cities in the collective Anglo-American imagination: the first, Florence, by virtue of its republican political system honed during the Renaissance; and the second, Rome, for the central role it played in the Classical age.
Within the conference I will give the lecture: American Cultural Experiences in Florence and Europe: Reality and Perpetuation of a Myth.
Here you can find the program of the conference (organized by AACUPI, ISI Florence, Kent
State University, California State University) and this is the link to the 1st Tuscan Anglo-American Festival in Florence.
Dec 21, 2015
Fall 2015
Sociology of Italian
Culture, Identity and Culture,
Researching Society, Cross Cultural
Communication
Cross Cultural Communication – Fall 2015
Brady Bridget, Ellis Devin, Iacomini
Lorenzo, Montgomery Lindsay, O'Donnell Caroline, O'Rourke Patrick, Phillips
Caroline, Ratto Nicole, Sacco Julia, Shannon Taylor, Stauffer Stefan.
Dec 8, 2015
Sociology of Italian Culture – Fall 2015
Barnes Anne, Buchanan Blake, Connella Cassandra, Douglas Jennifer, Heaney Carolyn, King Audrey, Martin Catherine, Miller Sage, Montgomery Lindsay, Patel Shanay, Quetti Matthew, Rizza Anna, Rojas Marina, Stephenson Kassia, Toy Rebecca.
Researching Society (Independent Study) – Fall 2015
Jernejcic Rachel, Lewis Shakira, Martinovic Angela
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