Scaling Southern Italy
Research on Naples and Southern Italy is the most intense focus of the Department. The main aim of our projects in this Research Area is to test new interpretative approaches and theoretical models, especially that of scaling. This concept, metaphorically borrowed from the history of cartography, is intended to express the conviction that the examination of any object of study must fundamentally reflect the scale or measure of one's research. This is especially true for a city or a geographical region, given that they are complex organisms that have grown and developed over many centuries.
Firstly, it is fundamental to overcome the center-periphery paradigm and to focus on polycentric structures in the Mediterranean region. Moreover, the examination of the cultural constructions that have determined today’s image of Naples and Southern Italy is itself a research interest that comes to the fore particularly in the projects on photography and film. The aim is to show and explain the construction and deconstruction of interpretative schemata and stereotypes about the Neapolitan metropolis and the entire Mezzogiorno. Southern Italy is understood as a hub of a Mediterranean network, from which the traditional geography of cultural connections and transfers can be redefined.
The intention of our approach is a determination to go beyond the stereotype of a ‘disavowed’ Naples and to strengthen the appreciation of the central role played by the city in the appropriation and translation of cultures. New research results, developed either within the Institute or in collaboration with external partners, illustrate the potential of such an approach.
