Specials

 

We inaugurated a cycle of symposiums that intends to face the issue from a historic point of view. Last year, for the first edition, we invited three professors, Columbia University; Ruth Ben Ghiat, New York University; and Lidia Santarelli, who was a fellow at the Italian Academy. During that event we focused our analysis on the racial laws promulgated during Fascism.

This year our aim is to study and discuss how Semitism and anti-Semitism were spread beyond Italy—and as such, the title given to this edition of the symposium. Because we wanted to give an international imprint to the symposium, we invited two non-Italian professors who currently work at Columbia University: Ira Katznelson will develop the theme of Jews in the United States during Fascism, while Claudio Lomnitz will focus on the relationship between Anti-Semitism and the Mexican Revolution.”

 

The phenomenon of “globalization” is an important factor. We thought that it would have made very little sense to focus on the story of one or maybe two nations when nowadays what happens in one country can affect the rest of the world. There is little space left for national history: today we need a global lens. 

 

Students and professors of Columbia University constitute most of the audience. We also have many external participants. The majority of them are officials and members of Italian institutions and academic departments in New York. This is also thanks to the extraordinary collaboration among us, a partnership enhanced in this case by the Primo Levi Center.

The preservation of memory is an integral part of our mission as an academic institution. In fact, the three pillars of our statute are culture, identity and memory: we grant fellowships to research projects that closely regard analysis related to these three concepts, in whichever field possible.

 

 

We consider memory from different points of view: biological, scientific, sociological, psychological and, of course, historical. Each one of them fulfills our aim: teaching that keeping memory alive is not only fundamental but also strategic for the present and future eras of human existence.

 

As an anthropologist, I focus my research on the development of the concepts of diversity and coexistence among peoples. I teach my students that there is a difference between “acceptance” and “tolerance”, and that is a fundamental part of my courses.  My efforts are also supported by the Academy, which frequently organizes conferences and workshops on these issues. For instance, at the end of the semester we will host an international conference on the topic of immigration. This is how we try to contribute to the enhancement of relationships between peoples that, in this era of great mobility, are more and more constrained to live together. Building a future of peace is the only way to give tribute to memory.