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italian-studies: Scholarly discussions in any field of Italian studies Dear Everyone, Thank you for your attention and also for the endorsements to my position. Indeed, there is much more in Italian culture than the stereotypes to which the English-speaking cultural (so to speak) industry keeps subscribing. Even considering their point of view, it is evident to me that rehashing formulas all the time is suicidal. Tthink about most of Italian cinema in the 1970s: "Il piu' brutto del mondo", as Paolo Bertetto entitled one of his books. We are still suffering from it. My take is that scholars need to RESIST. After all, scholarship can provide space for deeper and more probing "texts." It would be a major disservice to our profession to cherish banalities, I think. Some of the most original work that Italian intellectuals have produced could be a crucial contribution to international culture. It is time to make our culture relevant and to translate ourselves for real, I think. As for Sciltian Gastaldi's observation: "just joking" does not cut it. There is indeed a diasporic community of Italians abroad, who left the country quite recently, and who are more oriented towards the left. One might easily argue that the current government is trying to get rid of its opposition making democratic life impossible in the "paese reale." Probably, promoting some serious Italian texts could help reclaiming some fertile land from Italy's present swamp. It might be wishful thinking; but as long as we keep thinking... Grazie ancora Andrea Malaguti ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join italian-studies YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave italian-studies to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/italian-studies.html