Simona Fabiola Girneata | Università degli Studi "La Sapienza" di Roma (original) (raw)
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Papers by Simona Fabiola Girneata
CALUMET Intercultural Law and Humanities Review, 2024
This essay offers an interdisciplinary analysis that investigates the connections between religio... more This essay offers an interdisciplinary analysis that investigates the connections between religious freedom, the regulation of places of worship, migration phenomena also in relation to the experience of work, and the protection of fundamental personal rights. All of these are analyzed focusing on the processes of the construction of legal subjectivity within the Italian legal system. The starting point is the analysis of the doctrine’s current regulations on the construction and management of places of worship in urban space. Such space will be analyzed in its semantized dimension and in its action as a signifier for those who inhabit it. In this sense, a categorical myopia emerges, compromising the lawmaker’s ability to create inclusive norms that acknowledge and respect the diverse pluralities within the territory. This exclusionary approach to otherness is equally evident in other legal contexts, ranging from labor law to migration regulation. The second part of the article is devoted to empirical field study. When we speak of space, we are never speaking of a mere ‘set’ in which human experience takes place, but rather of an integral part of that experience. For this reason, it is not possible to speak of a single space, but of spaces of experience, particular not universal, subjectified by the experience of the individual and communities. Fully understanding the mechanisms that generate the space of experience and thus subjectivity has—now more than ever—become the challenge of the modern state, and thus of democratic experience as such. Intercepting the mechanisms of territorial inhabitation by migrant communities and others becomes essential to be able to both respond to the demands dictated by the principle of effectiveness of norms with specific regard to places of worship, and to guarantee the presence of a discourse for the self-determination of religious freedom. After all, the moment a freedom is constitutionally granted, it is no longer hetero-deterministically definable, as such designating the failure of the very principles—democratic and constitutional—the state is supposed to protect. In short, the essay aims to highlight the shortcomings of processes of construction of legal subjectivity associated with religious experience with respect to the principles of universal dignity and equality enshrined in the Constitution.
Calumet Review, 2024
This study explores the role of intention as a pivotal principle in the perception and applicatio... more This study explores the role of intention as a pivotal principle in the perception and application of concepts such
as ‘justice’ and ‘sustainability’ within rural communities during the European energy transition. Through an
ethnographic survey I personally conducted in 2023 among Christian Orthodox communities in rural Romania,
I investigated the challenges related to energy transition and achieving the goals outlined by the European Green
Deal. I focused on the state directive to reduce and eradicate the widespread use of woody biomass for domestic
heating and the shift to the use of new technologies and regenerative resources. Field research revealed that this
heating practice reflects deep dynamics related to the relationship between humans and the environment. This
relationship is developed within the Christian Orthodox universe, in which human beings are conceived as coparticipants in the continuous creation of the world and, therefore, have an obligation to responsible and
purposeful use of natural resources. In a context of anthropological inquiry that looks at what people think they
do, it has emerged how local perceptions regarding community use of wood are read in a positive light, as related
to a sustainable way of living that derives livelihood from the land. At the same time, new environmental
regulations appear in the eyes of indigenous people to be new ways for institutions to exploit land and generate
further poverty, especially considering the high costs of alternative heating technologies.
Understanding the intentionality coefficient embedded in the representation of indigenous land use processes,
such as the use of wood for heating, is a prerequisite for the development and management of coherent and
inclusive transition pathways.
This is because categories such as ‘sustainability’ and ‘environmental protection’ cannot be elaborated a priori
and based on abstract presumptions of universality and objectivity. Their universal articulation can only be
considered such on the condition that their interpretations and implementations are interpenetrated with locally
generated and culturally idiomatic cognitive frameworks and reservoirs of practices. In this sense, the
environment experienced in Romanian rural communities is ‘subjective’ only when observed from a European
perspective that assumes itself as the rational-objective axis. On the contrary, to the extent that such an
environmental context is interwoven with behavioral patterns stemming from the axiological-intentional
dimension but, at the same time, embodied in the phenomenology of the material world, it can be qualified—
with an only seemingly paradoxical metaphor—as objectively pre-intentional. In other words, it encapsulates an
intention that has become matter through the dynamic interaction between human subject and living context.
Thisconsideration made it possible to grasp the multiple challenges and contradictions inherent in the European
energy transition, highlighting the complex interconnection between a positivist-normative approach
corresponding to community perspective and local culture.
In conclusion, the analysis stresses the importance of actively including local perspectives in European and
national decision-making: perspectives understood as an inescapable prerequisite for ensuring the effectiveness
and justice of energy transition policies. This approach appears essential to promote policy formulation sensitive
to the specific needs and visions of the communities involved, thus contributing to a more equitable energy
transition.
Pluralismo confessionale e dinamiche interculturali. LE ‘BEST PRACTICES’ PER UNA SOCIETÀ INCLUSIVA, 2023
Orthodox Christianity, together with Islam, is reported as one of the main 'foreign religions' in... more Orthodox Christianity, together with Islam, is reported as one of the main 'foreign religions' in Italy. A mapping of the Orthodox communities in Emilia-Romagna revealed 70 realities, 45 of which are stable churches. The research used ethnographic research tools and qualitative-quantitative analysis to offer a broad overview of the micro and macro history of the Orthodox communities in Italy. The aim is to provide verified data for future research and tools to build new forms of awareness and collaboration with institutions. The research also revealed that the different definitions of integration that emerged from the interviews enter into dialogue with the different models and practices of local Orthodox communities and their jurisdictions. The paper therefore proposes a focus on the object as subject and a shift from the theoretical framework through which the integration debate is predominantly conducted today.
Comparative Cultural Studies - European and Latin American Perspectives, 2021
This paper pledges to illustrate and analyse the practices and measures that Eastern European Ort... more This paper pledges to illustrate and analyse the practices and measures that Eastern European Orthodox Christian communities in the diaspora implemented in response to the global phenomenon of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. A comparative study of two different West-European communities, in Italy and France, will be attempted through the tools of multi-sited participant observation. We will illustrate the alternative forms of reaction and re-aggregation implemented by the faithful and their priests by putting them in communication with the two local contexts, and with the overall dynamics that have affected contemporary Orthodoxy. Observation will therefore offer fruitful opportunities to investigate the semantic variations with which Orthodox communities translate the debate between tecno-scientific measures and religious dogmas, and between civil and religious authorities, in a scenario in which orthodox migrants are protagonists of both a growing religious transnationalization, and a ne...
Comparative Cultural Studies 6 (13), 2021
This paper pledges to illustrate and analyse the practices and measures that Eastern European Ort... more This paper pledges to illustrate and analyse the practices and measures that Eastern European Orthodox Christian communities in the diaspora implemented in response to the global phenomenon of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. A comparative study of two different West-European communities, in Italy and France, will be attempted through the tools of multi-sited participant observation. We will illustrate the alternative forms of reaction and re-aggregation implemented by the faithful and their priests by putting them in communication with the two local contexts, and with the overall dynamics that have affected contemporary Orthodoxy. Observation will therefore offer fruitful opportunities to investigate the semantic variations with which Orthodox communities translate the debate between tecno-scientific measures and religious dogmas, and between civil and religious authorities, in a scenario in which Orthodox migrants are protagonists of both a growing religious transnationalization, and a ne...
CALUMET Intercultural Law and Humanities Review, 2024
This essay offers an interdisciplinary analysis that investigates the connections between religio... more This essay offers an interdisciplinary analysis that investigates the connections between religious freedom, the regulation of places of worship, migration phenomena also in relation to the experience of work, and the protection of fundamental personal rights. All of these are analyzed focusing on the processes of the construction of legal subjectivity within the Italian legal system. The starting point is the analysis of the doctrine’s current regulations on the construction and management of places of worship in urban space. Such space will be analyzed in its semantized dimension and in its action as a signifier for those who inhabit it. In this sense, a categorical myopia emerges, compromising the lawmaker’s ability to create inclusive norms that acknowledge and respect the diverse pluralities within the territory. This exclusionary approach to otherness is equally evident in other legal contexts, ranging from labor law to migration regulation. The second part of the article is devoted to empirical field study. When we speak of space, we are never speaking of a mere ‘set’ in which human experience takes place, but rather of an integral part of that experience. For this reason, it is not possible to speak of a single space, but of spaces of experience, particular not universal, subjectified by the experience of the individual and communities. Fully understanding the mechanisms that generate the space of experience and thus subjectivity has—now more than ever—become the challenge of the modern state, and thus of democratic experience as such. Intercepting the mechanisms of territorial inhabitation by migrant communities and others becomes essential to be able to both respond to the demands dictated by the principle of effectiveness of norms with specific regard to places of worship, and to guarantee the presence of a discourse for the self-determination of religious freedom. After all, the moment a freedom is constitutionally granted, it is no longer hetero-deterministically definable, as such designating the failure of the very principles—democratic and constitutional—the state is supposed to protect. In short, the essay aims to highlight the shortcomings of processes of construction of legal subjectivity associated with religious experience with respect to the principles of universal dignity and equality enshrined in the Constitution.
Calumet Review, 2024
This study explores the role of intention as a pivotal principle in the perception and applicatio... more This study explores the role of intention as a pivotal principle in the perception and application of concepts such
as ‘justice’ and ‘sustainability’ within rural communities during the European energy transition. Through an
ethnographic survey I personally conducted in 2023 among Christian Orthodox communities in rural Romania,
I investigated the challenges related to energy transition and achieving the goals outlined by the European Green
Deal. I focused on the state directive to reduce and eradicate the widespread use of woody biomass for domestic
heating and the shift to the use of new technologies and regenerative resources. Field research revealed that this
heating practice reflects deep dynamics related to the relationship between humans and the environment. This
relationship is developed within the Christian Orthodox universe, in which human beings are conceived as coparticipants in the continuous creation of the world and, therefore, have an obligation to responsible and
purposeful use of natural resources. In a context of anthropological inquiry that looks at what people think they
do, it has emerged how local perceptions regarding community use of wood are read in a positive light, as related
to a sustainable way of living that derives livelihood from the land. At the same time, new environmental
regulations appear in the eyes of indigenous people to be new ways for institutions to exploit land and generate
further poverty, especially considering the high costs of alternative heating technologies.
Understanding the intentionality coefficient embedded in the representation of indigenous land use processes,
such as the use of wood for heating, is a prerequisite for the development and management of coherent and
inclusive transition pathways.
This is because categories such as ‘sustainability’ and ‘environmental protection’ cannot be elaborated a priori
and based on abstract presumptions of universality and objectivity. Their universal articulation can only be
considered such on the condition that their interpretations and implementations are interpenetrated with locally
generated and culturally idiomatic cognitive frameworks and reservoirs of practices. In this sense, the
environment experienced in Romanian rural communities is ‘subjective’ only when observed from a European
perspective that assumes itself as the rational-objective axis. On the contrary, to the extent that such an
environmental context is interwoven with behavioral patterns stemming from the axiological-intentional
dimension but, at the same time, embodied in the phenomenology of the material world, it can be qualified—
with an only seemingly paradoxical metaphor—as objectively pre-intentional. In other words, it encapsulates an
intention that has become matter through the dynamic interaction between human subject and living context.
Thisconsideration made it possible to grasp the multiple challenges and contradictions inherent in the European
energy transition, highlighting the complex interconnection between a positivist-normative approach
corresponding to community perspective and local culture.
In conclusion, the analysis stresses the importance of actively including local perspectives in European and
national decision-making: perspectives understood as an inescapable prerequisite for ensuring the effectiveness
and justice of energy transition policies. This approach appears essential to promote policy formulation sensitive
to the specific needs and visions of the communities involved, thus contributing to a more equitable energy
transition.
Pluralismo confessionale e dinamiche interculturali. LE ‘BEST PRACTICES’ PER UNA SOCIETÀ INCLUSIVA, 2023
Orthodox Christianity, together with Islam, is reported as one of the main 'foreign religions' in... more Orthodox Christianity, together with Islam, is reported as one of the main 'foreign religions' in Italy. A mapping of the Orthodox communities in Emilia-Romagna revealed 70 realities, 45 of which are stable churches. The research used ethnographic research tools and qualitative-quantitative analysis to offer a broad overview of the micro and macro history of the Orthodox communities in Italy. The aim is to provide verified data for future research and tools to build new forms of awareness and collaboration with institutions. The research also revealed that the different definitions of integration that emerged from the interviews enter into dialogue with the different models and practices of local Orthodox communities and their jurisdictions. The paper therefore proposes a focus on the object as subject and a shift from the theoretical framework through which the integration debate is predominantly conducted today.
Comparative Cultural Studies - European and Latin American Perspectives, 2021
This paper pledges to illustrate and analyse the practices and measures that Eastern European Ort... more This paper pledges to illustrate and analyse the practices and measures that Eastern European Orthodox Christian communities in the diaspora implemented in response to the global phenomenon of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. A comparative study of two different West-European communities, in Italy and France, will be attempted through the tools of multi-sited participant observation. We will illustrate the alternative forms of reaction and re-aggregation implemented by the faithful and their priests by putting them in communication with the two local contexts, and with the overall dynamics that have affected contemporary Orthodoxy. Observation will therefore offer fruitful opportunities to investigate the semantic variations with which Orthodox communities translate the debate between tecno-scientific measures and religious dogmas, and between civil and religious authorities, in a scenario in which orthodox migrants are protagonists of both a growing religious transnationalization, and a ne...
Comparative Cultural Studies 6 (13), 2021
This paper pledges to illustrate and analyse the practices and measures that Eastern European Ort... more This paper pledges to illustrate and analyse the practices and measures that Eastern European Orthodox Christian communities in the diaspora implemented in response to the global phenomenon of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. A comparative study of two different West-European communities, in Italy and France, will be attempted through the tools of multi-sited participant observation. We will illustrate the alternative forms of reaction and re-aggregation implemented by the faithful and their priests by putting them in communication with the two local contexts, and with the overall dynamics that have affected contemporary Orthodoxy. Observation will therefore offer fruitful opportunities to investigate the semantic variations with which Orthodox communities translate the debate between tecno-scientific measures and religious dogmas, and between civil and religious authorities, in a scenario in which Orthodox migrants are protagonists of both a growing religious transnationalization, and a ne...