Large N duality beyond the genus expansion

We study non-perturbative aspects of the large N duality between Chern-Simons theory and topological strings, and we find a rich structure of large N phase transitions in the complex plane of the 't Hooft parameter. These transitions are due to large N instanton effects, and they can be regarded as a deformation of the Stokes phenomenon. Moreover, we show that, for generic values of the 't Hooft coupling, instanton effects are not exponentially suppressed at large N and they correct the genus expansion. This phenomenon was first discovered in the context of matrix models, and we interpret it as a generalization of the oscillatory asymptotics along anti-Stokes lines. In the string dual, the instanton effects can be interpreted as corrections to the saddle string geometry due to discretized neighboring geometries. As a mathematical application, we obtain the 1/N asymptotics of the partition function of Chern-Simons theory on L(2,1), and we test it numerically to high precision in order to exhibit the importance of instanton effects.Comment: 37 pages, 24 figures. v2: clarifications and references added, misprints corrected, to appear in JHE

Transnational identities and digital media: the digitalisation of Italian Diaspora in London

Digital media and mobile technologies have allowed migrants to keep in touch with family and friends across the world. On the one hand, the fact that communication is no longer limited to the individual’s offline networks means that moving to another country is no longer associated with isolation. On the other hand, new developments in information and communication technologies are transforming the experience of migration with implications for sociality, identity, and political and cultural involvement. In this article I will explore how new transnational cultures are being initiated through the consumption of digital media, and how media consumption is specifically shaping Italian diaspora in London. Based on ethnographic data and participant observation, I intend to address two key points: first, to what extent media improve immigrants’ transnational experience by affecting their quality of life; second, and more widely, whether or not media can affect the process of integration between diasporic communities and host countries. An investigation of the concept of Transnational Virtual Communities of Immigrants (VTCI) will also help to define new directions for future research

Book review: the digital youth network: cultivating digital media citizenship in urban communities by Brigid Barron et al.

This book describes work of the the Digital Youth Network, an ambitious project to help economically disadvantaged middle-school students in Chicago develop technical, creative, and analytical skills across a learning ecology that spans school, community, home, and online. Sara Marino heartily recommends the book to mentors, researchers, and organisers who are interested in the design and implementation of similar digital media initiatives

What Are We Going to Do about Them? The Centrality of Borders in Fortress Europe

Confronted with the images that have been reaching us since the influx of refugees entered new dimensions last year in Europe, the term ‘Fortress Europe’ has been used over and over again to identify the continent’s concerns about security. What are we going to do with them? What do we know about them? All European governments seem to agree that a humanitarian state of urgency and emergency is on its way: a crisis of enormous proportions that is threatening the ‘soul’ and ‘authentic spirit’ of Europe. Across the Union, governments have struggled to develop an effective response, and mainly responded by transforming their borders into instruments of exclusion and prevention. This article discusses the centrality of the borders within the current political agenda, by conceptualising them as institutions of power, as processes of identity formation, and as performances. It focuses on the human costs of Fortress Europe, and its ongoing fight against the unwanted

The Role Of The Refugee And The Impact Of Fragmented Identities In Diasporic Filmmakers. A Review Of Dogville By Lars von Trier

<p class="Body">In this article I will review the film Dogville by Lars Von Trier through the perspective given by Hamid Naficy in his book An Accented Cinema: Exilic and Diasporic Filmmaking. The main purpose is to understand how identity is described and performed through the allegory of Grace and the image of the refugee, and the role homelessness and displacement play both for the filmmakers and the content of diasporic films. I will demonstrate how the relationship between minority (Grace-the refugee) and the majority (the population of Dogville) is a topic of transnational cinema, and which conclusions can we make by taking into account the role of identity and sense of belonging for transnational productions.</p

Visitors’ satisfaction and perceived affective qualities towards museums: the impact of recreational areas

Questo studio indaga il ruolo svolto dai fattori ambientali sulla valutazione di una visita al museo da parte degli utenti. È stata condotta un’indagine empirica per rilevare la soddisfazione dei visitatori e la valutazione dell'esperienza museale, con un'attenzione particolare alle aree ricreative (negozio di souvenir e ristorante/bar). Un campione di 160 visitatori di due musei di Roma (50% italiani e 50% madrelingua inglese) ha completato un questionario comprendente scale sulle qualità affettive dei luoghi (Russell &amp; Pratt, 1980), sulla soddisfazione e sulle motivazioni della visita. I risultati hanno mostrato che le aree ricreative, in particolare il negozio di souvenir, facilitano la creazione di una relazione positiva tra il visitatore e l'ambiente museale. La valutazione degli utenti è stata anche associata a differenze linguistiche e relative alle motivazioni alla base della visita.This study investigates the role played by environmental factors on users’ evaluation of a museum visit. An empirical research was carried out to detect visitors’ satisfaction and assessment of museum experience, with a special focus onto its recreational areas (i.e., gift shop and restaurant/cafeteria). A sample of 160 visitors of two museums of Rome (50% Italians and 50% English mother tongue) completed a questionnaire including scales on affective qualities of places (Russell &amp; Pratt, 1980), satisfaction towards the visit, and motives for the visit. Results showed the relevance of recreational areas, especially the gift shop, in facilitating the creation of a positive relationship between the visitor and the museum environment. Users’ assessment was also associated to differences in visitors’ mother tongue, age, educational level and motives underlying the visit

Power, command and violence in von Trier’s Manderlay. A political and philosophical analysis of pseudo-democracies

Alabama, 1933. A caravan of limousines carrying gangsters arrives in Manderlay, a small village where slavery still exists as an institution. Mam (Lauren Bacall) rules the plantation assisted by her foreman Wilhelm (Danny Glover), a slave who believes his people are not ready for the responsibilities of freedom. Driving up to the gates of the plantation, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) declares that the slaves must be informed how to enjoy freedom and thus becoming good citizens. Drawing on a textual and visual analysis of Manderlay, the article explores how democracy arises from the exercise of violence and power, as well as the inability of Western societies to deal with the dogma of difference

Cook it, eat it, Skype it: Mobile media use in re-staging intimate culinary practices among transnational families

This article discusses video-based platforms as drivers of transconnective spaces for transnational families to do familyhood. By looking at how Italians living in London use Skype to restage family rituals at a distance, I examine the centrality of culinary practices in relation to family work. In doing this, I also expand on the role of polymedia environments in enabling emotional proximity and the formation of a sense of mediated co-presence within transnational contexts. In-depth interviews were conducted with members of the Facebook group Italian Gals in London to unpack how lived geographies of migration intersect with media technologies and practices to create a new transconnective habitus around food preparation, cooking and dining. The study reveals that while Skype provides emotional connectivity, communicative challenges and tensions can also occur as a result of the ‘ephemerality’ of video calls and as technological asymmetries emerge among transnational family members

Digital Solidarity and Ethical Tech for Refugees: Why We Need to Care More and Code Less

Since 2015, the so-called refugee crisis has prompted an explosion of mobile applications and other initiatives aimed at helping refugees navigate the spaces of Fortress Europe, connect with useful resources, access opportunities, and integrate into the destination country. Guided by faith in the power of technologies to initiate change, different fringes of society—humanitarian organizations, private entrepreneurs, tech corporations, volunteers, and grassroots organizations—have increasingly relied on digital solutions to circulate solidarity across borders. This article reflects on the tensions that characterize cross-border digital solidarity by looking at how we can reconcile the ethics of “doing social good” with the more discriminatory practices of data collection that affect the refugee body. The article argues that attention needs to be paid to the implementation of mindful filtering practices as an alternative framework for more ethical uses of technology that center around care as a guiding principle and value