Making the Neighbourhood Relevant. A Study on How Events Territorialise their Outcomes

International audienceShifting and multi-level territories are not only generated by the mobility of capital and companies. Non-profit, community-based, groups increasingly adopt forms of action, such as the setting up of events, that directly question the taken-for-granted relation between spatial distance and social proximity. In this paper I focus on non-profit groups’ use of events as space infrastructures to make the neighbourhood relevant for the development of social ties and, thus, for the enhancement of local social inclusion. In order to account for the variety of outcomes produced by this strategy, three cases are introduced to show that the observed outcomes derive from the type of territorialisation process through which events develop and from the associated level of territorial complexity. This paper introduces a territorological approach useful to specify the different shapes that similar temporary claiming of space may take and to analyse the link between territorialisation forms and the deriving outcomes.Les territoires changeants et multiscalaires ne sont pas seulement générés par le capital et les entreprises. Des organisations à but non lucratif, communautés locales, adoptent de plus en plus des formes d’action comme l’organisation d’événements, ce qui questionne les relations entre distance spatiale et proximité sociale. Dans cette communication, je me concentre sur l’utilisation, par ces organisations, des événements qu’elles organisent comme bases visant à rendre le voisinage actif dans le développement du lien social et, de fait, dans l’amélioration de l’intégration sociale au niveau local. Pour rendre compte de la variété des conséquences, trois cas sont présentés qui soulignent que ces résultats dérivent à la fois du type de processus de territorialisation par lequel les événements se développent et du niveau de complexité territoriale. Cet article introduit une approche utile pour spécifier les formes que peuvent prendre des revendications de l’espace local et pour analyser le lien entre des formes de territorialisation et les conséquences qui en découlent

Gary Alan Fine, The Hinge. Civil Society, Group Cultures and the Power of Local Commitments. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2021.

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Gramsci's Civil Society and the Implicit Dimension of Politics. A case Study

Civil society actors' reduced ability to take political action and adopt critical positions towards public institutions is often ascribed to the "marketisation" of the local welfare systems in which non-profit and third-sector organizations operate. This reading of the depoliticisation of civil society is correct, but it has a number of shortcomings, including the assumption that civil society actors are passive agents that are overwhelmed by the depoliticisation mechanisms to which they are subjected. Instead, this paper ex-plores how civic organizations – albeit unintentionally – engender depoliticisation dynamics that shrink their critical strength. To do so, it draws on Gramscian arguments regarding civil society and politics and uses them to illuminate a case study of a local governance strategy (V'Arco Villoresi Green System), involv-ing both experts and civic groups. The main finding of the research is that civil society sustains what Gram-sci called "economism", i.e. a radical rejection of politics, which may be enacted by civil society both when non-critically adhering to governance arenas and when contesting them. The analysis undertaken contrib-utes to our understanding of the depoliticisation of civil society, shedding light, on the one hand, on how this process is not solely due to factors external to civil society and, on the other hand, on what the author calls the implicit dimension of politics

Gary Alan Fine, The Hinge. Civil Society, Group Cultures and the Power of Local Commitments. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2021.

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Due strategie culturali tra marginalità e accoglienza

The rise of initiatives involving small towns at risk of depopulation offers the opportunity to empirically grasp different paths “to imagine a different future”. In particular, we focus on cultural strategies: interventions drawing on symbols to fight marginalizing trends and trigger processes of local development. Such strategies are tackled by comparing two case studies: the experimentation of the Sprar model of widespread reception for refugees and asylum seekers in a small village of Calabrian Appennino (Sant’Alessio d’Aspromonte) and the variety of social and cultural initiatives that welcome fragile social groups promoted by the association Nocetum in a former agricultural village situated between the rural area Parco Agricolo Sud Milano and Milan. The heterogeneity of the selected cases will make evident two recurring mechanisms: first, the fact that associative styles and organizational cultures are in both cases the result of multiple levels of negotiation, in which local leaders are engaged in many ways to implement the reputation of their interventions; second, it will be shown the ambiguous role played by the traditional collective representations concerning the analysed local communities, thus illustrating how such representations are unavoidable conditions for anyone promoting cultural strategies in those communities. Due strategie culturali tra marginalità e accoglienzaIl moltiplicarsi di iniziative civiche e sociali che coinvolgono i piccoli centri a rischio di spopolamento offre l’occasione per verificare empiricamente la tenuta e il funzionamento di diverse ipotesi “per immaginare un futuro diverso”. Particolare rilievo assumono oggi le cosiddette strategie culturali: interventi che agiscono su rappresentazioni e simboli per contrastare tendenze marginalizzanti. Il contributo presenta e discute due studi di caso: la sperimentazione del modello Sprar di accoglienza diffusa per rifugiati e richiedenti asilo in un paese dell’Aspromonte reggino (Sant’Alessio) e l’azione di contrasto al degrado promossa dall’associazione Nocetum ai confini fra Milano e un’area rurale circostante. Il dialogo fra casi tanto diversi consente di evidenziare elementi ricorrenti nell’attivazione di strategie culturali di valorizzazione locale, relative alla forma di questi interventi, non al loro contenuto. In primo luogo, il fatto che culture organizzative e stili associativi dei soggetti che promuovono le azioni studiate sono il frutto di più livelli di negoziazione, legati alla capacità di imbastire percorsi di implementazione della propria reputazione. In secondo luogo, l’analisi evidenzia l’ambiguo ruolo giocato dalle rappresentazioni di cui i territori analizzati sono tradizionalmente stati oggetto e il loro porsi come condizioni locali ineludibili per chiunque voglia promuovere processi di valorizzazione attraverso strategie culturali.Il moltiplicarsi di iniziative civiche e sociali che coinvolgono i piccoli centri a rischio di spopolamento offre l’occasione per verificare empiricamente la tenuta e il funzionamento di diverse ipotesi “per immaginare un futuro diverso”. Particolare rilievo assumono oggi le cosiddette strategie culturali: interventi che agiscono su rappresentazioni e simboli per contrastare tendenze marginalizzanti. Il contributo presenta e discute due studi di caso: la sperimentazione del modello Sprar di accoglienza diffusa per rifugiati e richiedenti asilo in un paese dell’Aspromonte reggino (Sant’Alessio) e l’azione di contrasto al degrado promossa dall’associazione Nocetum ai confini fra Milano e un’area rurale circostante. Il dialogo fra casi tanto diversi consente di evidenziare elementi ricorrenti nell’attivazione di strategie culturali di valorizzazione locale, relative alla forma di questi interventi, non al loro contenuto. In primo luogo, il fatto che culture organizzative e stili associativi dei soggetti che promuovono le azioni studiate sono il frutto di più livelli di negoziazione, legati alla capacità di imbastire percorsi di implementazione della propria reputazione. In secondo luogo, l’analisi evidenzia l’ambiguo ruolo giocato dalle rappresentazioni di cui i territori analizzati sono tradizionalmente stati oggetto e il loro porsi come condizioni locali ineludibili per chiunque voglia promuovere processi di valorizzazione attraverso strategie culturali.  Two Cultural Strategies between Marginality and ReceptionThe rise of initiatives involving small towns at risk of depopulation offers the opportunity to empirically grasp different paths “to imagine a different future”. In particular, we focus on cultural strategies: interventions drawing on symbols to fight marginalizing trends and trigger processes of local development. Such strategies are tackled by comparing two case studies: the experimentation of the Sprar model of widespread reception for refugees and asylum seekers in a small village of Calabrian Appennino (Sant’Alessio d’Aspromonte) and the variety of social and cultural initiatives that welcome fragile social groups promoted by the association Nocetum in a former agricultural village situated between the rural area Parco Agricolo Sud Milano and Milan. The heterogeneity of the selected cases will make evident two recurring mechanisms: first, the fact that associative styles and organizational cultures are in both cases the result of multiple levels of negotiation, in which local leaders are engaged in many ways to implement the reputation of their interventions; second, it will be shown the ambiguous role played by the traditional collective representations concerning the analysed local communities, thus illustrating how such representations are unavoidable conditions for anyone promoting cultural strategies in those communities

Spectrum of mutations in Italian patients with familial hypercholesterolemia: New results from the LIPIGEN study

Background Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by elevated plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol that confers an increased risk of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Early identification and treatment of FH patients can improve prognosis and reduce the burden of cardiovascular mortality. Aim of this study was to perform the mutational analysis of FH patients identified through a collaboration of 20 Lipid Clinics in Italy (LIPIGEN Study). Methods We recruited 1592 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of definite or probable FH according to the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria. We performed a parallel sequencing of the major candidate genes for monogenic hypercholesterolemia (LDLR, APOB, PCSK9, APOE, LDLRAP1, STAP1). Results A total of 213 variants were detected in 1076 subjects. About 90% of them had a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. More than 94% of patients carried pathogenic variants in LDLR gene, 27 of which were novel. Pathogenic variants in APOB and PCSK9 were exceedingly rare. We found 4 true homozygotes and 5 putative compound heterozygotes for pathogenic variants in LDLR gene, as well as 5 double heterozygotes for LDLR/APOB pathogenic variants. Two patients were homozygous for pathogenic variants in LDLRAP1 gene resulting in autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia. One patient was found to be heterozygous for the ApoE variant p.(Leu167del), known to confer an FH phenotype. Conclusions This study shows the molecular characteristics of the FH patients identified in Italy over the last two years. Full phenotypic characterization of these patients and cascade screening of family members is now in progress

Lipoprotein(a) Genotype Influences the Clinical Diagnosis of Familial Hypercholesterolemia

: Background Evidence suggests that LPA risk genotypes are a possible contributor to the clinical diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). This study aimed at determining the prevalence of LPA risk variants in adult individuals with FH enrolled in the Italian LIPIGEN (Lipid Transport Disorders Italian Genetic Network) study, with (FH/M+) or without (FH/M-) a causative genetic variant. Methods and Results An lp(a) [lipoprotein(a)] genetic score was calculated by summing the number risk-increasing alleles inherited at rs3798220 and rs10455872 variants. Overall, in the 4.6% of 1695 patients with clinically diagnosed FH, the phenotype was not explained by a monogenic or polygenic cause but by genotype associated with high lp(a) levels. Among 765 subjects with FH/M- and 930 subjects with FH/M+, 133 (17.4%) and 95 (10.2%) were characterized by 1 copy of either rs10455872 or rs3798220 or 2 copies of either rs10455872 or rs3798220 (lp(a) score ≥1). Subjects with FH/M- also had lower mean levels of pretreatment low-density lipoprotein cholesterol than individuals with FH/M+ (t test for difference in means between FH/M- and FH/M+ groups <0.0001); however, subjects with FH/M- and lp(a) score ≥1 had higher mean (SD) pretreatment low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (223.47 [50.40] mg/dL) compared with subjects with FH/M- and lp(a) score=0 (219.38 [54.54] mg/dL for), although not statistically significant. The adjustment of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels based on lp(a) concentration reduced from 68% to 42% the proportion of subjects with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level ≥190 mg/dL (or from 68% to 50%, considering a more conservative formula). Conclusions Our study supports the importance of measuring lp(a) to perform the diagnosis of FH appropriately and to exclude that the observed phenotype is driven by elevated levels of lp(a) before performing the genetic test for FH

Lipoprotein(a) Genotype Influences the Clinical Diagnosis of Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Background Evidence suggests that LPA risk genotypes are a possible contributor to the clinical diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). This study aimed at determining the prevalence of LPA risk variants in adult individuals with FH enrolled in the Italian LIPIGEN (Lipid Transport Disorders Italian Genetic Network) study, with (FH/M+) or without (FH/M-) a causative genetic variant. Methods and ResultsAn lp(a) [lipoprotein(a)] genetic score was calculated by summing the number risk-increasing alleles inherited at rs3798220 and rs10455872 variants. Overall, in the 4.6% of 1695 patients with clinically diagnosed FH, the phenotype was not explained by a monogenic or polygenic cause but by genotype associated with high lp(a) levels. Among 765 subjects with FH/M- and 930 subjects with FH/M+, 133 (17.4%) and 95 (10.2%) were characterized by 1 copy of either rs10455872 or rs3798220 or 2 copies of either rs10455872 or rs3798220 (lp(a) score >= 1). Subjects with FH/M- also had lower mean levels of pretreatment low-density lipoprotein cholesterol than individuals with FH/M+ (t test for difference in means between FH/M- and FH/M+ groups <0.0001); however, subjects with FH/M- and lp(a) score >= 1 had higher mean (SD) pretreatment low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (223.47 [50.40] mg/dL) compared with subjects with FH/M- and lp(a) score=0 (219.38 [54.54] mg/dL for), although not statistically significant. The adjustment of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels based on lp(a) concentration reduced from 68% to 42% the proportion of subjects with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level >= 190 mg/dL (or from 68% to 50%, considering a more conservative formula). ConclusionsOur study supports the importance of measuring lp(a) to perform the diagnosis of FH appropriately and to exclude that the observed phenotype is driven by elevated levels of lp(a) before performing the genetic test for FH

Refinement of the diagnostic approach for the identification of children and adolescents affected by familial hypercholesterolemia: Evidence from the LIPIGEN study

Background and aims: We aimed to describe the limitations of familiar hypercholesterolemia (FH) diagnosis in childhood based on the presence of the typical features of FH, such as physical sings of cholesterol accumulation and personal or family history of premature cardiovascular disease or hypercholesterolemia, comparing their prevalence in the adult and paediatric FH population, and to illustrate how additional information can lead to a more effective diagnosis of FH at a younger age.Methods: From the Italian LIPIGEN cohort, we selected 1188 (>= 18 years) and 708 (<18 years) genetically-confirmed heterozygous FH, with no missing personal FH features. The prevalence of personal and familial FH features was compared between the two groups. For a sub-group of the paediatric cohort (N = 374), data about premature coronary heart disease (CHD) in second-degree family members were also included in the evaluation.Results: The lower prevalence of typical FH features in children/adolescents vs adults was confirmed: the prevalence of tendon xanthoma was 2.1% vs 13.1%, and arcus cornealis was present in 1.6% vs 11.2% of the cohorts, respectively. No children presented clinical history of premature CHD or cerebral/peripheral vascular disease compared to 8.8% and 5.6% of adults, respectively. The prevalence of premature CHD in first-degree relatives was significantly higher in adults compared to children/adolescents (38.9% vs 19.7%). In the sub-cohort analysis, a premature CHD event in parents was reported in 63 out of 374 subjects (16.8%), but the percentage increased to 54.0% extending the evaluation also to second-degree relatives.Conclusions: In children, the typical FH features are clearly less informative than in adults. A more thorough data collection, adding information about second-degree relatives, could improve the diagnosis of FH at younger age