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Kategorie: Gesellschaft/Società

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

The “Melonization” Paradox. Why a Seductive Neologism Conceals More Than It Reveals

Melonization” is a particularly instructive case: a term circulating in newsrooms and political debate as though its meaning were self-evident, while simultaneously designating two analytically opposite processes. Does it refer to the apparent moderation of a party with roots in the far-right tradition? Or to the gradual accommodation of the European political mainstream to its priorities?

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.

Destra/Rechte / Dissemination / Events/Eventi / Gesellschaft/Società

Call for Contributions: “Lost in Their Words. Rewriting the Political Lexicon of the Far-Right”

Over the past three decades, Far-right actors have profoundly reshaped their political language turning familiar words like freedom, democracy, or solidarity into tools of redefinition and legitimation.
This collective volume explores how such shifting meanings circulate between online cultures, media ecosystems, and political arenas, gradually normalising radical narratives within mainstream discourse.

Scholars are invited to contribute chapters (4,000–5,000 words) analysing keywords or recurring concepts in Far-right discourse from the 1970s to today, combining conceptual history, discourse analysis, and cultural approaches.

🗓 Abstract deadline: 3 May 2026

(Re)Posts / Definitions & Theory / Gesellschaft/Società / In Italiano

Tempo libero e comunità informali. Il valore dell’esperienza e la lenta scomparsa degli hobby

Negli ultimi decenni, gli hobby hanno rappresentato spazi sociali marginali ma cruciali, in cui pratiche non produttive e non monetizzate hanno favorito forme di comunitarizzazione informale e identità non professionali. Questo re-post di un articolo de “il Post” analizza il progressivo declino degli hobby come indicatore di trasformazioni più ampie che investono il rapporto tra lavoro, tempo libero e consumo, segnate dalla riduzione dell’attenzione, dall’aumento dei costi materiali e dalla pressione alla valorizzazione economica delle attività personali. Letto in chiave storico-fenomenologica, il fenomeno rivela l’erosione di pratiche lente e dilettantistiche e la difficoltà crescente di mantenere spazi di esperienza sottratti alla logica della performance. In questo senso, la scomparsa degli hobby diventa una lente per osservare la ridefinizione contemporanea del valore dell’agire e delle forme di appartenenza sociale.

(Re)Posts / Dissemination / Europa / Gesellschaft/Società / In Italiano

Shifting Borders. Un podcast sui confini tra passato e presente / Ein Podcast zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart

La rivista bilingue Storia e regione propone una nuova visione della storia regionale: non più un luogo definito da confini politici o naturali, ma uno spazio flessibile, i cui contorni vengono ridefiniti di volta in volta in base ai fenomeni storici analizzati.
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Die zweisprachige Zeitschrift Geschichte und Region bietet eine neue Perspektive auf Regionalgeschichte: keine Region im administrativen Sinn, die durch politische oder natürliche Grenzen festgelegt ist, sondern ein flexibler Raum, der je nach den Besonderheiten der untersuchten historischen Phänomene immer wieder neu bestimmt werden muss.

Arbeit/Lavoro / Dissemination / Gesellschaft/Società / Politik/Politica

An Odd-Jobs Republic. The 2025 Referendum in Italy and the Long Decline of Labour Rights

Italy’s June 2025 referendum aimed to put labour rights and job insecurity back at the centre of political debate. Yet with turnout stuck at just over 30%, it failed to reach the quorum—reflecting decades of reforms that have weakened protections, fragmented careers, and turned flexibility into structural precarity. From the “Treu Package” to the Jobs Act, legislative choices have reshaped the very meaning of work, eroding its social value and excluding many, especially migrants, from full citizenship. Understanding this trend is key to rethinking labour, rights, and belonging in 21st-century Italy.

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.

Dissemination / Gesellschaft/Società / In Italiano

Quando il desiderio femminile ridefinisce il maschile. Sessualità, emancipazione e paradossi nella commedia erotica italiana.

Negli anni Settanta, il cinema erotico italiano divenne uno specchio grottesco e ironico delle trasformazioni culturali e sociali in corso. Attraverso personaggi maschili inetti e caricaturali contrapposti a figure femminili potenti e seducenti, queste commedie esplorarono la tensione tra una femminilità emancipata e una mascolinità disorientata. Il genere, spesso etichettato come intrattenimento superficiale, si rivelò invece un osservatorio privilegiato per comprendere i cambiamenti nelle dinamiche di genere e nei rapporti di potere, offrendo una rappresentazione paradossale ma incisiva della sfida rappresentata dal desiderio femminile.

(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”?

(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.