Scaling Southern Italy
Research on Naples and Southern Italy is a key focus of the Department. The main aim of the 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.
Methodologically, the first priority is to overcome the center-periphery paradigm in order to promote approaches to a polycentric description of the Mediterranean region. Moreover, the examination of the cultural constructions that have determined today’s image of Naples and Southern Italy is a research interest in itself, 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 Mezzogiorno as a whole. Southern Italy is envisioned as the hub of a Mediterranean network from which the traditional geography of cultural connections and transfers can be redefined. This approach is determined 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.
