Andrea Germani | Università degli Studi dell'Insubria (original) (raw)

Papers by Andrea Germani

Paper in rivista scientifica di classe A, 2022

Germani A., Marc Bloch's "Rois Thaumaturges" and Consensus Building in the Middle Ages: at the Ro... more Germani A., Marc Bloch's "Rois Thaumaturges" and Consensus Building in the Middle Ages: at the Roots of the Legitimacy of Power, «Metabasis.it», 2:34, 2022, 45 - 63;

In his work written in 1924 Les rois thaumaturges, Marc Bloch highlighted an important issue that contributes to our understanding of power and royalty in the Middle Ages. Scholars have been deepening research in the field since then, looking for the reasons behind the "royal touch" and for an eventual quest for legitimacy for those kings who strive to see their authority recognized. Should we reduce the touch to a mere strategy to gain consensus? Or should we look for deeper reasons by "questioning" the kings and their hypothetical belief in touch, along with the trust in their healing powers? It must be acknowledged that subjects were loyal to the body of the king first, and the body was the very center of the political realm throughout the Middle Ages. In this paper we are going to try to look for a different path analyzing Bloch's findings and proposing research questions that should be taken into consideration in both studies on royalty in the Middle Ages, and on the origins of the legitimization of power.

Paper in rivista scientifica di classe A, 2021

Germani A., Kelsen e Kantorowicz lettori del Monarchia: due studi su Stato e Sovranità nel pensie... more Germani A., Kelsen e Kantorowicz lettori del Monarchia: due studi su Stato e Sovranità nel pensiero di Dante a confronto, «Heliopolis», 2, 2021, 61 – 76.
;
Both Hans Kelsen and Ernst Kantorowicz investigated Dante's political thought at a particular moment of their lives, as they offered an interpretation of the Monarchia. While Kelsen approached Dante at the very beginning of his studies, Kantorowicz dedicated to the Italian poet a significant amount of his career as a historian: their research on State and sovereignty in Dante is still a landmark for scholars. Once given a brief retrospective of Dante's life and his treatise, I will expose the cornerstones of Kelsen's and Kantorowicz's readings, along with some relevant details of their biographies. Eventually, I will suggest that their respective stances might be influenced by their personal experiences, as well as the historical period they were living in.

Saggio in volume collettaneo, 2021

Germani A., Robert Nozick’s Minimal State Between Myth and Utopia in Germani A., Olzi M., Rauso F... more Germani A., Robert Nozick’s Minimal State Between Myth and Utopia in Germani A., Olzi M., Rauso F., Vitale M. R. (a cura di), Symbols and Myths in Liberal Democratic Political Systems, Milano-Udine: Mimesis International, 2021, 35 – 48.

Paper in rivista scientifica di classe A, 2020

Germani A., I supplizi e la sovranità ferita: sull’esecuzione pubblica come risoluzione del conf... more Germani A., I supplizi e la sovranità ferita: sull’esecuzione pubblica come risoluzione del
conflitto nell’opera di Michel Foucault, «Metabasis.it», 30, 2020, 59 – 79.
;
Michel Foucault in his book Surveiller et punir has investigated the evolution of prison system and penal system from the ancient régime to the post revolutionary era. In the first part of the volume public execution as both a deterrent and an educational technique is discussed; the body of the condemned is teared apart in front of the citizenship, this is the very moment when justice is served, the king shows himself through the ordeal and manifests his absolute power. Everyone who dares to violate the law can be considered an enemy; in this dimension felony and treason are put on the same level and even the most violent act of revenge by the king is fully justified.

Paper in rivista scientifica, 2020

Germani A., Classe e genere nella sfera pubblica di Jürgen Habermas, «Europea», 2, 2020, 113 – 1... more Germani A., Classe e genere nella sfera pubblica di Jürgen Habermas, «Europea», 2, 2020,
113 – 131.
;
The bourgeoise public sphere, as it was displayed by Jürgen Habermas in his book The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, was born in modern Europe as a space of public interest and soon became a space of political opposition to national govern-ments all across the continent. The access to such political arena has always been lim-ited to the men of the middle class and the upper class; women and the working class couldn’t participate in the discussions held in the public sphere. This essay aims to ex-pose the theory that lies behind this exclusion process and show why it is that only rich men were allowed to take part in this elitist and exclusive sphere that posed as repre-senting the whole citizenship, including women and the working class.

Paper in rivista scientifica di classe A, 2020

Germani A., The Problem of Consensus in Plato’s Republic, «Heliopolis», 1, 2020, 63 – 73. ; In... more Germani A., The Problem of Consensus in Plato’s Republic, «Heliopolis», 1, 2020, 63 –
73.
;
In this paper I will analyse the problem of consensus in Plato's Republic by distinguishing two levels for it: on one hand Socrates' persuasion of the city's élite about the goodness of the kallipolis, on the other hand the education needed to shape the loyal citizen and ensure a lasting consensus among citizenship in its whole. In order to achieve justice, governors must be fair with the whole citizenship and justice cannot be grounded on violence and coercion alone. The reflection begins with the refutation of this point, which is Thrasymachus', and goes on to the persuasion of Glaucon and Adeimantus; in the end the features of a proper education for the children are discussed.

Saggio in volume collettaneo, 2018

Germani A., Il Fanciullo per il Fanciullo: la Croce Rossa Italiana e la tutela della minore età i... more Germani A., Il Fanciullo per il Fanciullo: la Croce Rossa Italiana e la tutela della minore età in Bortoletto N., Silvano G. (a cura di), Croce Rossa Italiana e welfare dal 1914 al 1927, Pisa: Edizioni ETS, 2018, 173 – 202.

Saggio in volume collettaneo, 2014

Germani A., Introduzione al pensiero di John Rawls, in Pozzoni I. (a cura di), Schegge di Filosof... more Germani A., Introduzione al pensiero di John Rawls, in Pozzoni I. (a cura di), Schegge di Filosofia Moderna X, Gaeta (LT): deComporre Edizioni, 2014, 131 – 144.

Books by Andrea Germani

Tesi di Dottorato (XXXIV Ciclo), 2022

This doctoral thesis examines legitimacy, along with processes of legitimation of power, in moder... more This doctoral thesis examines legitimacy, along with processes of legitimation of power, in modern European absolutism, when legitimacy became a crucial problem for every political power that demanded that his authority be fully recognized. The political, geographic, economic, spiritual, and cultural innovations of the XVth and XVIth centuries created a rift in the heart of medieval Respublica Christiana, making it decay and perish, after a millennium of existence. The political harmony ensured by the architecture of medieval government collapsed; both the pope and the emperor saw their leadership put in danger by the emerging actors in the modern geopolitical framework: the State and absolute monarchs. The king started his project of centralizing power by excluding all the actors from the rule of both people and territories. New political categories like sovereignty, decision, raison d’État, and the idea that rex facit legem were born, as well as new tools for governance: bureaucracy, taxation system, State army, police, and modern courts. The whole absolutist era was marked by the struggle for complete legitimacy. For an order to emerge out of the bloody religious wars of the XVIth century, recognition was to be built from scratch; in this work I piece together the long path from medieval sovereigns, and sovereignty, to modern ones, analyzing the evolution in conceiving justice and the birth of those political images, rituals and concepts that crafted political modernity.

Curatela, 2021

Germani A., Olzi M., Rauso F., Vitale M. R. (a cura di), Symbols and Myths in Liberal Democratic ... more Germani A., Olzi M., Rauso F., Vitale M. R. (a cura di), Symbols and Myths in Liberal Democratic Political Systems, Milano-Udine: Mimesis International, 2021.

Paper in rivista scientifica di classe A, 2022

Germani A., Marc Bloch's "Rois Thaumaturges" and Consensus Building in the Middle Ages: at the Ro... more Germani A., Marc Bloch's "Rois Thaumaturges" and Consensus Building in the Middle Ages: at the Roots of the Legitimacy of Power, «Metabasis.it», 2:34, 2022, 45 - 63;

In his work written in 1924 Les rois thaumaturges, Marc Bloch highlighted an important issue that contributes to our understanding of power and royalty in the Middle Ages. Scholars have been deepening research in the field since then, looking for the reasons behind the "royal touch" and for an eventual quest for legitimacy for those kings who strive to see their authority recognized. Should we reduce the touch to a mere strategy to gain consensus? Or should we look for deeper reasons by "questioning" the kings and their hypothetical belief in touch, along with the trust in their healing powers? It must be acknowledged that subjects were loyal to the body of the king first, and the body was the very center of the political realm throughout the Middle Ages. In this paper we are going to try to look for a different path analyzing Bloch's findings and proposing research questions that should be taken into consideration in both studies on royalty in the Middle Ages, and on the origins of the legitimization of power.

Paper in rivista scientifica di classe A, 2021

Germani A., Kelsen e Kantorowicz lettori del Monarchia: due studi su Stato e Sovranità nel pensie... more Germani A., Kelsen e Kantorowicz lettori del Monarchia: due studi su Stato e Sovranità nel pensiero di Dante a confronto, «Heliopolis», 2, 2021, 61 – 76.
;
Both Hans Kelsen and Ernst Kantorowicz investigated Dante's political thought at a particular moment of their lives, as they offered an interpretation of the Monarchia. While Kelsen approached Dante at the very beginning of his studies, Kantorowicz dedicated to the Italian poet a significant amount of his career as a historian: their research on State and sovereignty in Dante is still a landmark for scholars. Once given a brief retrospective of Dante's life and his treatise, I will expose the cornerstones of Kelsen's and Kantorowicz's readings, along with some relevant details of their biographies. Eventually, I will suggest that their respective stances might be influenced by their personal experiences, as well as the historical period they were living in.

Saggio in volume collettaneo, 2021

Germani A., Robert Nozick’s Minimal State Between Myth and Utopia in Germani A., Olzi M., Rauso F... more Germani A., Robert Nozick’s Minimal State Between Myth and Utopia in Germani A., Olzi M., Rauso F., Vitale M. R. (a cura di), Symbols and Myths in Liberal Democratic Political Systems, Milano-Udine: Mimesis International, 2021, 35 – 48.

Paper in rivista scientifica di classe A, 2020

Germani A., I supplizi e la sovranità ferita: sull’esecuzione pubblica come risoluzione del conf... more Germani A., I supplizi e la sovranità ferita: sull’esecuzione pubblica come risoluzione del
conflitto nell’opera di Michel Foucault, «Metabasis.it», 30, 2020, 59 – 79.
;
Michel Foucault in his book Surveiller et punir has investigated the evolution of prison system and penal system from the ancient régime to the post revolutionary era. In the first part of the volume public execution as both a deterrent and an educational technique is discussed; the body of the condemned is teared apart in front of the citizenship, this is the very moment when justice is served, the king shows himself through the ordeal and manifests his absolute power. Everyone who dares to violate the law can be considered an enemy; in this dimension felony and treason are put on the same level and even the most violent act of revenge by the king is fully justified.

Paper in rivista scientifica, 2020

Germani A., Classe e genere nella sfera pubblica di Jürgen Habermas, «Europea», 2, 2020, 113 – 1... more Germani A., Classe e genere nella sfera pubblica di Jürgen Habermas, «Europea», 2, 2020,
113 – 131.
;
The bourgeoise public sphere, as it was displayed by Jürgen Habermas in his book The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, was born in modern Europe as a space of public interest and soon became a space of political opposition to national govern-ments all across the continent. The access to such political arena has always been lim-ited to the men of the middle class and the upper class; women and the working class couldn’t participate in the discussions held in the public sphere. This essay aims to ex-pose the theory that lies behind this exclusion process and show why it is that only rich men were allowed to take part in this elitist and exclusive sphere that posed as repre-senting the whole citizenship, including women and the working class.

Paper in rivista scientifica di classe A, 2020

Germani A., The Problem of Consensus in Plato’s Republic, «Heliopolis», 1, 2020, 63 – 73. ; In... more Germani A., The Problem of Consensus in Plato’s Republic, «Heliopolis», 1, 2020, 63 –
73.
;
In this paper I will analyse the problem of consensus in Plato's Republic by distinguishing two levels for it: on one hand Socrates' persuasion of the city's élite about the goodness of the kallipolis, on the other hand the education needed to shape the loyal citizen and ensure a lasting consensus among citizenship in its whole. In order to achieve justice, governors must be fair with the whole citizenship and justice cannot be grounded on violence and coercion alone. The reflection begins with the refutation of this point, which is Thrasymachus', and goes on to the persuasion of Glaucon and Adeimantus; in the end the features of a proper education for the children are discussed.

Saggio in volume collettaneo, 2018

Germani A., Il Fanciullo per il Fanciullo: la Croce Rossa Italiana e la tutela della minore età i... more Germani A., Il Fanciullo per il Fanciullo: la Croce Rossa Italiana e la tutela della minore età in Bortoletto N., Silvano G. (a cura di), Croce Rossa Italiana e welfare dal 1914 al 1927, Pisa: Edizioni ETS, 2018, 173 – 202.

Saggio in volume collettaneo, 2014

Germani A., Introduzione al pensiero di John Rawls, in Pozzoni I. (a cura di), Schegge di Filosof... more Germani A., Introduzione al pensiero di John Rawls, in Pozzoni I. (a cura di), Schegge di Filosofia Moderna X, Gaeta (LT): deComporre Edizioni, 2014, 131 – 144.

Tesi di Dottorato (XXXIV Ciclo), 2022

This doctoral thesis examines legitimacy, along with processes of legitimation of power, in moder... more This doctoral thesis examines legitimacy, along with processes of legitimation of power, in modern European absolutism, when legitimacy became a crucial problem for every political power that demanded that his authority be fully recognized. The political, geographic, economic, spiritual, and cultural innovations of the XVth and XVIth centuries created a rift in the heart of medieval Respublica Christiana, making it decay and perish, after a millennium of existence. The political harmony ensured by the architecture of medieval government collapsed; both the pope and the emperor saw their leadership put in danger by the emerging actors in the modern geopolitical framework: the State and absolute monarchs. The king started his project of centralizing power by excluding all the actors from the rule of both people and territories. New political categories like sovereignty, decision, raison d’État, and the idea that rex facit legem were born, as well as new tools for governance: bureaucracy, taxation system, State army, police, and modern courts. The whole absolutist era was marked by the struggle for complete legitimacy. For an order to emerge out of the bloody religious wars of the XVIth century, recognition was to be built from scratch; in this work I piece together the long path from medieval sovereigns, and sovereignty, to modern ones, analyzing the evolution in conceiving justice and the birth of those political images, rituals and concepts that crafted political modernity.

Curatela, 2021

Germani A., Olzi M., Rauso F., Vitale M. R. (a cura di), Symbols and Myths in Liberal Democratic ... more Germani A., Olzi M., Rauso F., Vitale M. R. (a cura di), Symbols and Myths in Liberal Democratic Political Systems, Milano-Udine: Mimesis International, 2021.