La hora del bricoleur mecánico

The essay analyses a recent ethnography on the repair and maintenance of motorcycles in Romania from the Second World War to the present day. Bearing in mind the very definition of the object, the analytical and conceptual premises of the anthropology of motorcycle culture, the methodological strategies that document it and some of the most significant particularities of the post-Soviet historical context and of “the post-repair society”, it is possible to rethink the apparently technical phenomenon of motorcycle mechanics as an authentic total social fact that modulates a set of geopolitical, economic, technical, identity, symbolic, aesthetic, age and gender variables. In addition, some lines of comparative exploration with other current studies on ethnomechanics, mobilities and particularly the contemporary dissemination of motorcycles in different cultural areas are proposed, which may shed light on the possible relational configurations between technology, environment and societ

Reflections on the Ballet des Porcelaines: Between intention and impact

This article reflects the intention and impact of the dance research project Le Ballet des Porcelaines or The Teapot Prince, co-created by Professor Meredith Martin with the choreographer and activitst Phil Chan and assisted by Dr Elisa Cazzato as wardrobe supervisor and tour manager in the Italian venues. Written by the comte de Caylus, with music by Nicolas-Racot de Grandval, and based on a fairy tale, this ballet tells the story of an Asian sorcerer who rules a ‘blue island’ and transforms trespassers into porcelain. A prince gets stranded on the island and is turned into a teapot, and a princess has to rescue her lover by seducing the sorcerer, stealing his wand, and breaking the spell. On the one hand a standard Orientalist fable, the ballet can also be read as also an allegory for the intense European desire to know and possess the secrets of making porcelain, a quasi-magical substance that China had been producing for centuries. Though it would inspire later ballets featuring sleeping beauties and porcelain princesses, the Ballet des Porcelaines is virtually unknown and—until recently—had not been performed for nearly three hundred years. This paper discusses our experiences in creating and presenting our new version of the ballet from 2021-22 at venues throughout the U.S. and Europe, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Princeton University, Waddesdon Manor and Brighton Royal Pavilion in the UK, and the Museo di Capodimonte and Palazzo Grassi in Italy

Half-Metallic Transport and Spin-Polarized Tunneling through the van der Waals Ferromagnet Fe4GeTe2

We examine the coherent spin-dependent transport properties of the van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnet Fe4GeTe2 using density functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's function method. Our findings reveal that the conductance perpendicular to the layers is half-metallic, meaning that it is almost entirely spin-polarized. This property persists from the bulk to a single layer, even under significant bias voltages and with spin-orbit coupling. Additionally, using dynamical mean field theory for quantum transport, we demonstrate that electron correlations are important for magnetic properties but minimally impact the conductance, preserving almost perfect spin-polarization. Motivated by these results, we then study the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) in a magnetic tunnel junction consisting of two Fe4GeTe2 layers with the vdW gap acting as an insulating barrier. We predict a TMR ratio of similar to 500%, which can be further enhanced by increasing the number of Fe4GeTe2 layers in the junction

Unpacking a global spatial brand: brand management practices in the UNESCO City of Gastronomy Network

Purpose – This study investigates the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy Network as a global spatial brand and explores the tensions that emerge when this global brand is appropriated locally. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on case study research that uses critical discourse analysis to identify the implications of a transferable learning capacity. Findings – This paper identifies three different types of tensions in place brand management that emerge during the local appropriation of global brands: tensions inherent in multi-scalarity, tensions associated with integrating governance and strategy-related tensions. Originality/value – This study advances the theoretical understanding of the spatial complexity inherent in place brand management practices by focusing on the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy Network as a global brand in a Scandinavian context

Il santuario del dio Altino tra Veneti e Romani

The presentation describes the structures of the sanctuary that date to a period between the second and the first centuries BC and contextualises them with the contemporary sanctuaries in the Veneto region. The theme of the possible commissioning of the monumentalization of the sanctuary is then explored on the basis of the epigraphical evidence dating back to the period of transition from Romanisation to Romanity

Unravelling future in displacement: Legality as an existential condition

In January 2015, Lebanon introduced a visa regime for Syrians, provoking havoc and panic among those already displaced in the country as a result of the war in Syria. This paper examines Syrians’ affective reactions in order to retrace how displacement as an imposed legal-political category also becomes an existential condition. By drawing on my ethnographic fieldwork with Syrians in Lebanon, I capture the transformations in the transition from emergency to protracted displacement. The beginning of the “refugee crisis” saw Syrians struggling with socioeconomic hardships while their illegality was usually ignored. This configuration permitted the emergence of a presentist mode of being which nevertheless collapsed in the wake of the new visa regime. The elusiveness and illegibility of the new regulations made illegality and deportability real, tangible risks. This produced a sense of spatial–temporal entrapment in which the future colluded with the present and in which illegality became a status not only denying the entitlement to rights but also negating a claim to existence

Financial market integration: A complex and controversial journey

In this article, we develop a comprehensive review of the literature on financial integration (FI). More specifically, we focus on all those empirical and theoretical works aimed at, first, measuring FI levels overtime, and then examining the effects of rising FI on growth, macroeconomic stability, and risk sharing. Our literature review indicates the presence of clear-cut and unanimous empirical evidence that FI increased over the last 50 (30) years in advanced economies (emerging economies). Unfortunately, there are no equally clear-cut evidence on the implications of rising FI for economic growth, macroeconomic stability and risk sharing. Puzzlingly, and inconsistently with theoretical predictions, an extensive empirical literature finds weak, inconclusive and controversial evidence that rising FI levels have stimulated growth and risk-sharing. Our journey throughout the literature on FI indicates that the reason for the existence of such controversial and inconclusive empirical findings on the FI-growth and FI-risk sharing links is that the use of different FI measures, econometric techniques, and definitions of FI make it difficult to synthesize results and draw robust conclusions

LANGUAGE IN SERVE OF ECO-ENVIRONMENT

This article examines the role of stylistic elements in enhancing the narrative depth and emotional resonance within the works of renowned author Gerald Durrell. Through a close analysis of selected passages featuring the animal characters depicted by G. Durrell, this study elucidates how the author employs personification, simile, metaphor, exaggeration, etc. to imbue these creatures with human-like qualities, creating a deeper connection be- tween the readers and his characters on an emotional level and effectively blurring the boundaries between the natural and human worlds. The use of different stylistic devices emerges as a powerful tool in Durrell's descriptive arsenal, enabling him to evoke vivid imagery and complex emotions through seemingly simple descriptions. By comparing the English originals with their Italian translations, this article also explores the challenges and nuances of literary translation, highlighting the importance of fidelity to the author's stylistic choices while adapt- ing the text to a different linguistic and cultural context. Ultimately, this study contributes to our understanding of the intricacies of narrative technique and translation practice, underscoring the universal themes and emotions that resonate across diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes

Dinamite, lotta di classe e acquedotti: narrazioni critiche su Los Angeles nell’opera di Louis Adamic

Starting from Mike Davis’ portrait of Louis Adamic, the essay traces a wider overview of the latter’s books and articles centered on Los Angeles by emphasizing their debunking of the myths which surrounded the Southern Californian city in the 1920s. Inspired by the works of Upton Sinclair, H. L. Mencken, and Sinclair Lewis, Adamic’s representations of Los Angeles contrasted the “good climate & profit” propaganda by depicting the city as the site of class and racial oppression, as a “modern” metropolis driven by small-town men and spiritual gurus, and whose ecosystem was put in danger by unscrupulous businessmen. His socio-cultural portraits of 1920s L.A. population and the framing of the city as always on the verge of social and natural disasters have been an inspiration for contemporary fellow writers such as John Fante, Nathanael West, and Carey McWilliams. Adamic’s writings, eventually, can be said to contribute both to the literary and cinematic noir and hard-boiled imaginary of the city and to the city’s ecocritical discourse