A matter of ethics and cartography. The map of the ambassador and the map of the journalist

Instead of being a neutral technical product as is generally believed, geographical maps are the subjective representations of a precise vision of spaces and the holders of performative power. This article uses the example of maps that give different interpretations of the political situation in the Crimea, disputed between Russia and Ukraine, in order to reflect on the plurality of possible cartographies and the reasons giving rise to them. The choices of the two real protagonists of the incident being described, an ambassador and a journalist, express two different ways of interpreting maps. Continually disputed between those wanting it for the synthetic description and those using it for an analytical interpretation and those evaluating it for its legal value, maps are thus epistemologically uncertain and ethically delicate objects

Echoes of counterculture in Stefano Benni's humour

Stefano Benni’s first novel, Terra! (1983) - a sci-fi spoof and a satire of contemporary life - set the trend for his subsequent fiction. Blending fantasy, pop culture, literary pastiche and current affairs, Benni’s political and social satires have been nationally and internationally successful. Less known yet crucial to the understanding of his fiction as well as to his use of humour are his earlier writings and their engagement with social and political issues. This study aims to show that the roots of Benni’s humour, with its coarse language, puns, pastiche and mocking tone, are to be found in the student spirit and political protest of the 1970s. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach which draws on social history as well as structuralist methods of literary analysis, it argues that the subtle rhetorical strategies employed, as well as the strong underlying political intent, militate against the dismissive label of ‘popular fiction writer’ attached to him by some critics

Fast reoptimization for the minimum spanning tree problem

AbstractWe study reoptimization versions of the minimum spanning tree problem. The reoptimization setting can generally be formulated as follows: given an instance of the problem for which we already know some optimal solution, and given some “small” perturbations on this instance, is it possible to compute a new (optimal or at least near-optimal) solution for the modified instance without ex nihilo computation? We focus on two kinds of modifications: node-insertions and node-deletions. When k new nodes are inserted together with their incident edges, we mainly propose a fast strategy with complexity O(kn) which provides a max{2,3−(2/(k−1))}-approximation ratio, in complete metric graphs and another one that is optimal with complexity O(nlogn). On the other hand, when k nodes are deleted, we devise a strategy which in O(n) achieves approximation ratio bounded above by 2⌈|Lmax|/2⌉ in complete metric graphs, where Lmax is the longest deleted path and |Lmax| is the number of its edges. For any of the approximation strategies, we also provide lower bounds on their approximation ratios

Methodological advancements for improving performance and generating ensemble ecological niche models

This study employs spatial filtering of occurrence data with the aim of reducing overfitting to sampling bias in ecological niche models (ENMs). Sampling bias in geographic space leads to localities that may also be biased in environmental space. If so, the model can overfit to those biases. As a preliminary test addressing this issue, we used Maxent, bioclimatic variables, and occurrence localities of a broadly distributed Malagasy tenrec, Microgale cowani (Family Tenrecidae: Subfamily Oryzorictinae). We modeled the abiotically suitable area of this species using three distinct datasets: unfiltered, spatially filtered, and rarefied unfiltered localities. To quantify overfitting and model performance, we calculated evaluation AUC, the difference between calibration and evaluation AUC (= AUCdiff), and omission rates. Models made with the filtered dataset showed lower overfitting and better performance than the other two suites of models, having lower omission rates and AUCdiff, and a higher AUCevaluation. Additionally, the rarefied unfiltered dataset performed better than the unfiltered one for three evaluation metrics, likely because the larger datasets reinforced the biases. These results indicate that spatial filtering of occurrence localities may allow biogeographers to produce better models

One stereotype, many representations: Turkey in Italian Geopolitics

A recent re-assessment of the role that cultural factors play in geopolitics has resulted in a profound re-conceptualisation of the field. This new approach affords representations special importance, since they reveal a great deal about those who propose them. National stereotypes, a specific kind of representation, provide valuable insight into popular readings of the world, and shape the collective geopolitical subconscious. But are the representations and views espoused by the elites also affected by stereotypes? And to what extent can national stereotypes and the counter-representations to which they give rise, withstand the representations imposed by the elites? The article takes a close look at past and present representations of Turkey in Italy in an attempt to answer these questions, and to explore the ways in which national stereotypes can enter geopolitical discursive practic

L’impatto della Brexit sugli equilibri geopolitici

Sulla geopolitica incombe perennemente l’aspettativa predittiva. La richiesta, cioè, di fornire interpretazioni plausibili e fondate delle possibili evoluzioni del sistema delle relazioni internazionali e degli equilibri tra i suoi protagonisti. Queste supposte potenzialità scenaristiche non le vengono attribuite per caso. La geopolitica infatti, almeno nella sua versione scientifica che tiene fede e dà senso al prefisso “geo”, sviluppa il proprio ragionamento sulla politica internazionale a partire dai fattori geografici, quali la posizione assoluta o relativa di un paese e le sue risorse naturali. Queste componenti risultano sostanzialmente stabili nel lungo periodo e quindi valide non solo per la comprensione dell’attualità ma anche del futuro. In altre parole, quelli geografici sono elementi di fondo che, per la loro sostanziale stabilità, risentono marginalmente delle contingenze della cronaca politica e quindi risultano in grado di continuare a esercitare i loro effetti negli anni a venire. Torneremo sui fattori geografici nella seconda parte dell’articolo per dar conto di alcune linee di tendenza connesse al caso di studio. Preliminarmente, però, occorre inquadrare il panorama complessivo entro il quale interpretare le conseguenze geopolitiche innescate dalla Brexit. Si fornirà al riguardo una breve disamina dei suoi effetti e del conseguente riallineamento delle posizioni dei protagonisti della politica internazionale

Armin Mittler and Stefan Wolle, eds.: Ich liebe euch doch alle! Befehle und Lageberichte des MfS Januar bis November 1989

Berlin: BasisDruck, 1990. 251 p

La Grande Guerra della Geografia

The Great War of Geography. – The First World War has been considered a turning point in the evolution of Italian geography. Following an unusual perspective this paper does not focus on the internal events of the discipline, but especially presents the implications of the very political and social transformations on it. Significant factors of the analyzed decisive historical period are therefore highlighted: the politicization of the discipline, the self-perception geographers had of their role, their relationship with ruling classes and with the public.The First World War has been considered a turning point in the evolution of Italian geography. Following an unusual perspective this paper does not focus on the internal events of the discipline, but especially presents the implications of the very political and social transformations on it. Significant factors of the analyzed decisive historical period are therefore highlighted: the politicization of the discipline, the self-perception geographers had of their role, their relationship with ruling classes and with the public

A un passo diverso: geografia politica e cartografia di fronte ai poteri statuali

Il rapporto tra geografia e cartografia attende da tempo di essere chiarito. L’assenza di una seria riflessione sul tema ha trascinato vetusti stereotipi e acuito la divaricazione tra coloro ai quali questo rapporto pare ormai logoro e chi invece lo considera potenzialmente sempre più fecondo. I primi avvertono una distinzione professionale sempre più netta fra chi produce sapere geografico e chi realizza carte mentre i secondi, al contrario, guardano con fiducia a questo rapporto nel quadro delle nuove forme di convergenza tra visualità e geografia. Senza voler proporre una sistematica ricognizione storica del triangolo geografia-cartografia-autorità, che richiederebbe ben altro spazio, questo articolo intende fornire un contributo “di ordine” a una vicenda storica che ha dei passaggi ancora poco esplorati. A tal fine ci si chiederà se e come le forme espressive della cartografia, nei loro significati politici, si sono raccordate all’evoluzione disciplinare della geografia politica.The relationship between geography and cartography has waited a long time to be clarified. The absence of serious reflection on the subject has perpetuated antiquated stereotypes and widened the divide between those for whom this relationship already seems tired and those who potentially consider it ever more fruitful. The former warn of an increasingly sharp and professional distinction between those who produce geographical knowledge and those who create maps, while the latter, on the other hand, confidently assess this relationship in the context of new forms of convergence between visuality and geography. Without wishing to propose a systematic and historic reconnaissance of the ‘geography-cartography-authority’ triangle, which would require a great deal of space, this article intends to supply an ‘ordered’ contribution to a historical event that still bears unexplored passages. To that purpose, we will ask whether and how the expressive forms of cartography, in their political senses, are connected to the evolution of the discipline of political geography

¿Teorías y políticas o políticas de las teorías?

Nada más opuesto o contradictorio para el sentido común que mezclar términos como teoría y política. Quizás porque para el saber común -androcéntrico- la segunda se encuentra contaminada en su marcación negativa por juicios que la desacreditan. Retengamos dos de ellos: la política estaría inmersa en ideologías, la política estaría cegada por las pasiones; la Teoría en cambio, pertenecería a ese ámbito claro y sosegado en donde mentes neutrales emitirían juicios neutrales. Por ello hablar de “políticas de la teoría” sería una franca contradicción. Estas posiciones que sin duda se pueden ubicar en una concepción logocéntrica del hacer teórico han sido cuestionadas y discutidas por el feminismo. La incorporación a la reflexión teórica del concepto de situación, de los valores, del cuerpo como encarnación del sujeto histórico, entre otras variables, da cuenta del trayecto crítico de la teoría. En este trabajo trataré de despejar las relaciones entre teoría y política tomando como punto de articulación el valor de la palabra. (Párrafo extraído del texto a modo de resumen)Eje temático 2 - Perspectivas feministas y de género en las ciencias socialesFacultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació