Greater Humanities per la Formazione

This article deals with the fragmentation of the Humanities, a proposed solution to it, and its applicability to Education Sciences. Section §1 examines some of the historical roots of both the divide between Humanities and Natural Sciences, as well as that between the Humanities and Social Sciences. The goal will be that of drafting a genealogy of the issue, and not that of providing the reader with a thorough diachronic recount. Once the need for a common direction is established, Clifford’s proposal is examined and supplemented with Burawoy’s epistemological partition of social sciences (Section §2). Finally, the resulting template will be applied to education in general and, more specifically, to Education Sciences, in order to see if they fit the Greater Humanities vision. In particular, the case of Italy’s Scienze della Formazione post-academic movement will be tested for compliance. Its overarching research programme, as outlined by Margiotta, will elicit a closer look at the ties between Education and unitarian projects devised for the Humanities.Questo articolo si occupa della frammentazione delle Scienze Umane, di una soluzione a tale divisione e dell’applicabilità di quest’ultima alle Scienze pedagogiche. La Sezione §1 esamina alcune delle radici storiche della spaccatura tra Scienze Umane e Scienze della Natura, così come quella tra Scienze Umane e Scienze Sociali. Lo scopo sarà quello di abbozzare una genealogia della questione – e non quella di fornire al lettore una dettagliata carrellata diacronica. Una volta stabilito il bisogno di una direzione comune, la proposta di Clifford è presa in esame e integrata con la suddivisione epistemologica delle scienze sociali suggerita da Burawoy (Sezione §2). Infine, il modello risultante sarà applicato alla formazione in generale e, in particolare, alle Scienze pedagogiche, allo scopo di vedere se aderiscono al progetto delle Greater Humanities [Umanesimo Metropolita]. Nello specifico, il caso italiano del movimento post-accademico delle Scienze della Formazione sarà rapportato al modello. Infatti, il programma di ricerca comprensivo delle Scienze della Formazione, così come tracciato da Margiotta, solleciterà uno sguardo più ravvicinato alle relazioni tra la Scienze pedagogiche e i progetti “unionisti” pensati per le Scienze Umane

La ricerca post-qualitativa e gli interventi formativi della CHAT: Validità epistemologica e superamento dei problemi di metodo

Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) appears to match the tenets of post-qualitative inquiry. However, post-qualitative inquiry is credited with being averse to method and to adopt post-modernist stances that are not consistent with CHAT’s structured reading of social reality. Notwithstanding this, it is possible to propose an interpretation of post-qualitative inquiry that overcomes such conceptual challenges. This article tackles the issue both theoretically and with reference to the way current CHAT research is undertaken. First, we propose post-qualitative research should be understood as compliant with post-Gettier epistemological standpoints. Second, we show that CHAT-inspired formative interventions are both educational in nature and, given their approach to learning processes, display the core features of post-qualitative research. Given CHAT’s distinction between immanent aspects of social reality and methods tailored to tackle local issues, post-qualitative inquiry is justified in retaining its flexible—almost anarchic—methodology while, at the same time, enjoying epistemological soundness.La teoria dell’attività storico-culturale (CHAT) mostra di corrispondere ai principi della ricerca post-qualitativa. Tuttavia, la ricerca post-qualitativa si oppone al metodo e adotta posizioni post-moderniste che non paiono coerenti con la visione strutturata della realtà sociale promossa dalla CHAT. Ciononostante, proponiamo un’interpretazione della ricerca post-qualitativa che supera tali difficoltà concettuali. Questo articolo affronta la questione sia teoricamente che con riferimento al modo in cui si svolge l’attuale ricerca in seno alla CHAT. Per prima cosa, proponiamo di collocare la ricerca post-qualitativa entro il quadro dell’epistemologia post-Gettier. Successivamente, mostriamo che gli interventi formativi ispirati alla CHAT hanno sia carattere educativo che investigativo in virtù del loro approccio ai processi di apprendimento. Poiché la CHAT distingue tra aspetti immanenti della realtà sociale e metodi costruiti su misura per affrontare problemi locali, la ricerca post-qualitativa risulta giustificata nel preservare una metodologia flessibile—quasi anarchica—e, parimenti, godere di validità epistemologica

Putte di Coro and Venetian Talented Education in the Late 17th and Early 18th Centuries

La Clotilde overo la Francia convertita by Coli Lucchese (1686) and Clotilde by Piccioli (1688) represent the two extremes of the continuum of female musical education in late 17th-century Venice. The first is a prose piece intended for a convent of former prostitutes, while the second is written for the “putte di coro,” that is, the female musicians trained in the Ospedali of the city, which housed various categories of disadvantaged young girls. Primary sources reveal a contradictory narrative from the general public and visitors of that time, who were intrigued both by the ideal of purity represented by nuns and female pupils and by the possibility of breaking into their well-regulated lives. Nevertheless, the hermeneutics of the opera Le Amazoni nell’Isole Fortunate (Piccioli, 1679), organized by Marco Contarini in his villa in Terraferma, places the girls from the Ospedali within a framework perpetuating the patrician hegemony through control over representations. This study demonstrates the multiple educational implications of this framework: the construction of a Venetian national consciousness, the creation of the foreign myth of Italy as a land of music and mystery, the successful social integration of disadvantaged girls, the establishment of a pedagogical model and professionalization of musical talent, and finally, opportunities for the Maestri of the “cori” to experiment in their art

How transformative are community education projects? Meta-analysis of two case studies

Questo contributo è una metanalisi di due casi di educazione comunitaria: una mostra riguardante gli Eelam Tamil (Londra); una passeggiata di attraversamento di una comunità svantaggiata (Sud Africa). L’analisi ha lo scopo valutare questi interventi alla luce di sei categorie fondate sull’apprendimento trasformativo. Il risultato qualitativo più saliente di questo studio riguarda il complesso rapporto tra costruzione di ruoli sociali stabili e raggiungimento dei fini trasformativi comunitari. This paper is a meta-analysis of two community education projects: an exhibition on the Eelam Tamil (London); a transect walk in a vulnerable community (South Africa). The analysis aims to assess such interventions through the lenses of six categories drawn on transformative learning. The most relevant qualitative result obtained by this study deals with the complex relation between construction of stable social roles and the achievement of community transformative goals

Dalle utopie alle città che apprendono come ecosistema: Da una rilettura della Città del Sole di Campanella

This article illustrates a hermeneutic path aimed at the contextualization of utopian narratives (with greater focus on Campanella’s City of the Sun) within the framework of current educational challenges. Section §1 shows the importance of utopian thinking for contemporary society. Section §2 deals with the issue of how the ideal world relates with the physical one and finds this issue to be a drive of utopian narratives. Section §3 maintains utopias are learning ecosystems: if we follow Halpin’s classification (2001) and consider Searle’s categorization of speech acts (1969) it is possible to recast utopian narratives as a variant of the learning ecosystems described by Toutain et al. in a different context of research (2019). Each of sections §4, §5, and §6 explores an ecosystemic dimension of the City of the Sun: harmony, detachment from material goods, and the educational principles of a community. Section §7 concludes by placing Campanella’s work within the frame of the contemporary educational crisis.Il presente articolo propone un percorso ermeneutico volto a tematizzare i racconti utopici – e La Città del Sole di Campanella, in particolare – in relazione alle sfide educative attuali. La sezione §1 illustra l’importanza del pensiero utopico per la società contemporanea. La sezione §2 affronta la questione del rapporto tra mondo ideale e mondo fisico, identificando in essa un nodo centrale delle utopie. La sezione §3 individua nelle utopie degli ecosistemi di apprendimento: sulla base della categorizzazione di Halpin (2001) e tenendo conto del racconto utopico come atto linguistico descritto in base alla tipologia di Searle (1969), è possibile inquadrare i racconti utopici come ecosistemi educativi che costituiscono una variante del tipo ordinariamente descritto da Toutain et al. in un diverso quadro di indagine (2019). Le sezioni §4, §5 e §6 esplorano ciascuna una dimensione ecosistemica de La Città del Sole: armonia, distacco dalle cose materiali e principi educativi di comunità. La sezione §7 conclude collocando il contributo di Campanella nel contesto della crisi educativa contemporanea

Modellizzare lo sviluppo territoriale “dal basso” entro il quadro della ricerca educativa sostenibile: Un contributo a più voci riguardo ai processi trasformativi, innovativi e partecipativi che rispondono a esigenze socioculturali di tipo locale e ai bisogni speciali

This paper joins together different educational research approaches, which highlight the relevance of educational research as a stimulus to bottom-up transformative processes, and as a tool to make them valuable at the local (territorial) and global (national, European) level. Each approach is dedicated to a single region or administrative district of Italy, within which their cases unfold (namely: Apulia, Lombardy, and Trento). Moreover, as made apparent by the joint diagram, they all share assumptions with regards to the ontology of the macrolevel, which constitute the bases for their comparability. The final section subsumes individual results by projecting them against a theo-retical background that stresses on the role of bottom-up processes as fos-terers of transformative resilience; the latter allows for adaptation without depletion of contextual elements, nor the avoidance of selective pressures. As such, educational research qualifies as one of the cornerstones of sus-tainable development.Questo articolo unisce differenti approcci per la ricerca educativa che sot-tolineano la rilevanza della stessa come stimolo per i processi trasformativi bottom-up e, parimenti, come strumento per valorizzarli a livello locale (territorio) e globale (nazione, UE). Ciascun approccio è dedicato a una singola regione o suddivisione amministrativa italiana, entro cui hanno luogo i casi studiati (Lombardia, Puglia, Trento). Inoltre, come si può evincere dallo schema collettivo, condividono tutti e tre degli assunti di base sulla suddivisione ontologica del macrolivello di analisi: tale elemento condiviso costituisce il fondamento della loro comparabilità. La sezione finale riassume i risultati individuali ponendoli nel contesto teorico dell'importanza dei processi bottom-up come chiavi della resilienza trasformativa; quest'ultima, infatti, risulta da un processo di adattamento che non esaurisce gli elementi contestuali né evita di misurarsi con le pressioni selettive. In quanto tale, la ricerca educativa si qualifica come uno dei capisaldi dello sviluppo sostenibile.  

The Unknown Carnival of Terceira Island (Azores, Portugal) : Community, Heritage, and Identity on Stage

Terceira Island hosts a Carnival that enjoys unique features in the landscape of European folklore. It involves a major share of the resident population, it takes place on stages scattered all over the island, and it involves a blend of dancing, music, and acting. This paper presents the preliminary results of a collaborative project between native and foreign scholars, with the activist goal of providing Terceira’s Carnival with visibility in order to ensure its preservation. Documentary evidence and fieldwork activities undertaken in 2020 provide grounds to interpret Terceira’s Carnival as a multi-modal endeavour that nurtures social cohesion through mythopoesis, subversion of hegemonic roles, and the distribution of leadership to folk elites. As such, we argue that Terceira’s Carnival does not fit traditional scholarly views on European Carnivals. Additionally, we show that, thanks to its ability to trigger identity-making processes, this Carnival is a case for cultural sustainability: in fact, it ensures the preservation of communal bonds in face of changing global and regional social landscapes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Numerical and experimental investigation of a 3D-printed PCU patient-specific cranial implant

Arburg plastic freeforming (APF) technology allows for fabricating patient-specific implants (PSIs) in a hospital environment using medical-grade thermoplastic polymers. Among these materials, poly(carbonate-urethane) (PCU) is of great relevance since it is characterised by excellent biocompatibility. This study explores the opportunity to realise a patient-specific cranial plate via APF. First, a Finite Element model (FEM) of the implant under compressive loads is developed and validated using a quasi-isotropic material. Then, this model is used for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) considering Technical Datasheet (TDS) material properties and those measured on 3D-printed specimens, by Three-Point Bending (TPB) tests. Finally, a PCU PSI is fabricated through APF and tested under static loads to validate the consistency of the numerical results. Considering TDS properties, the FEA results indicate that PCU can be used for the manufacturing of this device. Nonetheless, the TPB tests show that the material suffers from a loss of mechanical properties. Using these properties, the displacements calculated via FEA exceed the admissible values for the application. A further decrease in stiffness is observed in the manufactured plate. Overall, findings suggest that PCU can be a viable material to be printed by APF technology for fabricating craniofacial PSIs, with the advantage of minor stress concentration in critical points of the implant if compared with polyetheretheretherketone (PEEK). However, further studies are necessary to effectively represent the effects of 3D printing in the FEMs used for structural validation and design optimisatio