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Autor: Massimiliano Livi

Covid-19 / Dissemination / Europa / Gesellschaft/Società / Literature/Letteratura

Wenn Krisen erzählt werden: Kommunikation, Vertrauen und Verschwörungsdenken in der Gegenwartsgesellschaft

Eine Reflexion zu Ruth Wodak und Markus Rheindorf: Babyelefant und Hausverstand. Wie Krisen produziert werden. Picus Verlag, Wien 2026, 224 S., ISBN 978-3-7117-3506-5

Krisen sind nicht nur politische oder gesundheitliche Ereignisse. Sie sind kommunikative Prozesse, in denen Vertrauen, kollektive Deutungen und neue Gemeinschaften entstehen oder zerbrechen. Ruth Wodaks und Markus Rheindorfs Buch „Babyelefant und Hausverstand. Wie Krisen produziert werden“ (Picus Verlag, Wien 2026) bildet den Ausgangspunkt für eine Reflexion über Sprache, Deutungsmacht und Kommunikationsökosysteme in der Gegenwartsgesellschaft.

Dissemination / Gesellschaft/Società

“War Oma auch dabei?” Gender, Family Identity and the Public Debate on the NSDAP Membership Database

The recent opening of the digitised NSDAP membership database has transformed a specialised archive into a public space of inquiry and self-reflection. Millions of users can now search family names within seconds, turning the archive into a site where inherited silence, memory and questions of responsibility intersect. Yet public debate has been framed overwhelmingly through the figure of the “Opa” as the symbolic bearer of complicity in the Nazi past. This masculine perspective reveals a persistent blind spot within contemporary Erinnerungskultur. Despite decades of scholarship, women remain largely marginal within the public narrative surrounding National Socialism. The database therefore raises not only the question of who participated in the regime, but also whose political agency contemporary memory culture is prepared to recognise.

Artificial Intelligence / Destra/Rechte / Dissemination / Gesellschaft/Società / Politik/Politica

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Collective Imagination and Reinforcing Cultural and Social Bias

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we see the world, but at what cost? AI-generated images not only reflect cultural biases—they amplify them, shaping collective imagination and reinforcing exclusive identities. From political propaganda to deepfake-fueled polarization, these technologies are being strategically exploited to reshape narratives and influence public perception. As AI becomes a key player in digital culture and ideological battles, the challenge is twofold: developing transparent, unbiased models while fostering critical awareness. The future of visual storytelling depends on ethical innovation, diverse datasets, and interdisciplinary oversight to ensure AI serves society rather than manipulates it.

(Re)Posts / Gesellschaft/Società / Politik/Politica

Die Digitalisierung der Politik. Jill Lepore über den “Künstlichen Staat”

In unserer digitalisierten Welt werden politische Prozesse zunehmend automatisiert. Harvard-Professorin Jill Lepore untersucht in ihrem Artikel die Auswirkungen auf die Demokratie. Sie betrachtet datengesteuerte Wahlkampagnen und die Rolle von Algorithmen und sozialen Medien. Wie verändert sich die politische Landschaft? Welche Risiken birgt diese Transformation? Vor welchen Herausforderungen stehen wir? Welche Chancen bietet die digitale Politik, und wie formt sie den “künstlichen Staat”?

Arbeit/Lavoro / Dissemination / In Italiano / Literature/Letteratura

#BookReview: Images of Class. Operaismo, Autonomia and the Visual Arts

In Images of Class Jacopo Galimberti fa luce sull’interazione tra arte, operaismo e autonomia nell’Italia degli anni Sessanta e Settanta. Egli mostra come le forme di espressione artistica siano diventate uno specchio delle lotte sociali, abbiano messo in discussione le strutture di potere e abbiano rivelato il potenziale dell’arte come mezzo di resistenza.

Destra/Rechte / Dissemination / In Italiano / Politik/Politica

Oltre l’infosfera: il discorso di Alessandro Giuli e la sfida per una nuova egemonia culturale

Il discorso di insediamento di Alessandro Giuli si presenta come un manifesto ideologico che coniuga identità culturale e innovazione tecnologica. Un’analisi politologica evidenzia la volontà di riaffermare una nuova egemonia culturale, attraverso il superamento della dialettica tra modernità e tradizione, collocando la cultura al centro di una strategia di soft power nazionale e internazionale.

(Re)Posts / Gesellschaft/Società

Perceived Exclusion and the Rise of Opposition: Navigating Social Change

A commentary on “Stefan Holubek-Schaum, Natalie Grimm & Patrick Sachweh (3. Juli 2024). Anschluss verpasst? Über das Gefühl, zurückgelassen worden zu sein”.
Exploring the phenomenon of social status loss amid rapid economic and cultural changes, highlighting how feelings of marginalization foster collective identities. By examining the interplay of economic disadvantage and cultural alienation, it discusses how shared experiences of exclusion lead to the formation of oppositional narratives and communities.
Drawing insights from the research conducted by the Forschungsinstitut Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt, it sheds light on the multifaceted nature of feeling ‘left behind’ and its implications for social cohesion in contemporary society.

© Laura Borràs Dalmau

Destra/Rechte / Dissemination / Europa / Events/Eventi / Gesellschaft/Società / Politik/Politica

Some Reflections on the Fascist legacy in Italy

Some Reflections from the Round Table at the Kick-Off Event F-Word: An anthropological exploration of fascist practices and meanings among European youth – 30 May 2024 University of Turin
Within the contemporary Italian political scene, the term “fascism” stirs a blend of historical reflection and current analysis. Its legacy, far from being a mere relic of the past, actively permeates both rhetoric and concrete political practices today. The journey from the anti-fascist resistance movement culminating in the Italian Republic to the present illustrates not merely a continuation of specific ideologies but a nuanced adaptation that reflects the dynamic nature of political beliefs and cultural identity. The persistent presence of far-right currents, evolving from historical fascism to modern iterations like the Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI), Alleanza Nazionale (AN), and ultimately Fratelli d’Italia, underlines the complexity of fully disengaging from a fascist past. This dialogue explores the validity of “fascism” as a term in contemporary discussion, the legitimate association of current political practices with historical fascism, and the most palpable manifestations of fascist legacy in today’s Italy. Here, we delve into an integrated narrative, pieced together from various perspectives throughout our conversation

Arbeit/Lavoro / Dissemination / Gesellschaft/Società

A Precarious Balance: San Precario’s Legacy and the Fight Against Fleeting Job Security

The transformations in the Italian labor market over the final decades of the 20th century were driven by a complex mix of economic, technological, and political factors. The advent of globalization and rapid technological progress have undermined the foundations of the traditional Fordist work model, characterized by stable jobs and a clear distinction between working time and leisure time. From the ’90s, deregulation initiatives in the labor market, motivated by the desire to increase the competitiveness of Italian companies on a global level, introduced elements of work flexibility. While initially designed to reduce unemployment and facilitate labor market entry for youth and women, these measures over time significantly eroded worker guarantees, exacerbating precarity.
The origins of San Precario date back to February 29, 2004, a leap date that embodies uncertainty and unpredictability, just like the condition of temporary workers. His first “appearance” at a Coop supermarket in the northern area of Milan inaugurated a significant chapter, marking the beginning of a movement that would lead San Precario to become a symbol of the fight against work precarity not only in Italy but also in Europe.

Destra/Rechte / Dissemination / Politik/Politica

40 Jahre danach – Die “Gruppe” Ludwig und ihre rechtsextreme Phänomenologie

Bis zur Festnahme von Wolfgang Abel und Marco Furlan im Jahr 1984 wurde allgemein angenommen, dass „Ludwig“ der Name einer geheimen rechtsextremen Organisation sei, die seit einem Jahrzehnt mörderische Aktionen durchführte.

„Ludwig“ tauchte als Pseudonym zum ersten Mal im November 1980 in einem handschriftlich in Pseudorunen geschriebenen Bekennerschreiben auf, das der „Gazzettino“ in Venedig erhielt.

(Re)Posts / Arbeit/Lavoro / Definitions & Theory / Dissemination / Gesellschaft/Società / Lavoro/Arbeit

“I certainly wouldn’t call it work anymore” – The Reconfiguration of Work in Italy during the 1970s from a Historical Semantics Perspective

At the end of the 1970s, with the onset of the post-boom crisis, the rejection of regulated labour and the theorisation of its liberation through precarisation and flexi-bilisation became part of a cultural and social semantics for the young gen-eration of workers entering the wage labour system. Their motto was “freeing labour to free life from labour”. Through both a quantitative and quali-tative historical semantic analysis of the sources, this contribution examines the medium- and long-term impacts of this reconfiguration on the practices of regulated and controlled wage labour. It also aims to offer an initial reflection on the use of the historical semantic approach for contemporary history and its possible – or rather, necessary – differentiation from other forms of discourse analysis.

Dissemination / Europa / Events/Eventi / Politik/Politica

Crisis of the Mass Parties and new Affiliations since 1979 – 12-14 October 2023, University of Bari

Promoted by: SISCALT, Italian Association for contemporary history of the German speaking area; GermanHistorical Institute Rome; Institute of Contemporary History Munich-Berlin; Hanns-Seidel Foundation;Giuseppe Di Vagno Foundation; City of Bari; University of Bari. What are...

(Re)Posts / Dissemination / Europa / Events/Eventi / Gesellschaft/Società / In Italiano / Politik/Politica

L’Italia di fronte alle sfide del nuovo (dis-)ordine internazionale 1989-2003

Seminario di ricerca SISSCO 2023 MILANO, 21-22 GIUGNO 2023, SALA NAPOLEONICA Programma intero [qui] GIOVEDÌ 22 GIUGNO ORE 14:30 – VI sessione Culture politiche, movimenti e influenze internazionaliPresiede: Claudia BaldoliLuca Falciola, La Pantera al...

(Re)Posts / Arbeit/Lavoro / Gesellschaft/Società

“Ich möchte nicht so viel arbeiten wie meine Eltern”

Die junge Generation legt mehr Wert auf die Work-Life-Balance als auf ihre Karriere und die Höhe ihres Geldeinkommens. Die Soziologie diskutiert, dass dieser Wertewandel eine Art Pendelbewegung darstellt, bei der immer dann, wenn materieller Wohlstand erreicht wurde, immaterielle Werte wichtiger werden. In Zeiten von Krisen gewinnt jedoch die Existenzsicherung wieder an Bedeutung.