Review: Archeologia Pubblica in Italia. Primo Congresso Nazionale Florence 29-30 October 2012 (original) (raw)
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AP: Online Journal in Public Archaeology
Public Archaeology is a young discipline, we all know that. It’s even younger in Italy, where public archaeology has not even reached ‘adulthood’. Cited for the first time by Armando De Guio in 2000 (De Guio and Bressan 2000), it was only a decade later that Public Archaeology has started to become ‘a thing’, thanks to some pioneering experiences at the University of Florence (Bonacchi 2009; Vannini 2011), and especially after a national conference in 2012 (in Florence: see Zuanni 2013 for a summary). Italian archaeologists’ first reaction was to overlap the new discipline with the experiences already in place, which in Italy were under the category of ‘valorizzazione’ (enhancement). They were not exactly the same: while Public Archaeology is characterised by a reflection on the objectives of the research from the very start, a focus on having a reliable methodology, and a strong element linked to evaluation, ‘enhancement’ experiences – while often valuable and successful – lacked t...
National Report Discovering the archaeologists of Italy 2012-2014
2014
Discovering Archaeologists of Europe 2014 is the first statistically systematic survey of the archaeological workforce in Italy: started in 2012 and funde by Lifelong Learning Programme of European Union, the project involves twenty-two European organisations led by the York Archaeological Trust. The project is now in its second edition, but this is the first time it has been conducted in our country: the need for a new edition comes from the necessity of analysing the working conditions of archaeologists, their numbers, and their work opportunities as affected by the economic crisis of the Western world in the last five-six years, especially in Europe. From the beginning of the crisis, the construction sector, the one that employs the majority of archaeologists at the moment, lost a total of 446,000 jobs, with a 30% decrease in investment. In 2012-2013 the Italian government cut 100,000,000 € of funding to the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism (MiBACT), with a 58% decrease in funding destined for preservation activities. According to official data available at the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) website, in two years Italian universities lost a total of 20% permanent archaeological jobs, reduced to 371 units working in 37 faculties all over the country. These were the numbers from which we started, to try and profile a profession that, more than others, is at risk of declining. Surveys conducted by other organisations preceded DISCO2014, but the gathered data never produced a general estimate. The only exceptions, for some aspects, are the 1992 conference titled “La laurea non fa l’archeologo”, and the document realised for the General States of Archaeology held in Paestum in 2011, when data gathered by professional organisations and by the Ministry itself were shared with the public .
The socio-political dimension of archaeology: some reflections on the Italian path
The Archaeology of Death.Proceedings of the Seventh Conference of Italian Ireland, Archaeology held at the National University of Galway, April 16-18, 2016, 2018
Summary The use of the past for the construction and deconstruction of modern identity, and the contribution provided by archaeology in these processes, has become a topic of much debate over the last decades. Archaeology, as unfortunately can be seen by the recent destruction of cultural heritage in Syria and elsewhere, consciously or unconsciously provides symbols and materials for the political, historical or pseudo-historical narratives of communities and states. The present work, analysing some Italian cases, from Calabria, Sardinia and Sicily, invites a reflection on the political role of archaeology in contemporary Italy. Riassunto La strumentalizzazione del passato, la costruzione e decostruzione dell’identità moderna e l’apporto fornito dall’archeologia in tali processi costituisce uno degli ambiti di ricerca su cui si è più scritto nel corso degli ultimi decenni. L’archeologia, infatti, come è tristemente stato sottolineato dalle distruzioni del patrimonio culturale a cui abbiamo assistito recentemente, fornisce, in maniera consapevole o inconsapevole, simboli e materialità alla narrative politica di una comunità o di uno stato. Il presente lavoro, analizzando alcuni casi italiani, provenienti specialmente dalla Calabria, dalla Sardegna e dalla Sicilia, vuole invitare a una riflessione sul ruolo politico dell’archeologia nell’Italia contemporanea.
Italian Archaeology: heritage, protection and enhancement
Internet Archaeology, 2021
Italy has a long tradition of cultural heritage management, which has been framed in an art historical context. This paper outlines the challenges to public archaeology, as it is often seen as a cost rather than as a benefit. Examples are provided showing how museums and heritage sites can be made more inclusive and welcoming to all members of the public, using a combination of private funding and public regulatory frameworks.
In the public interest? Archaeological research, permits and public participation in Italy
European Journal of Post-Classical Archaeologies, 2019
This paper aims to examine the Italian legislation on archaeological research, which requires a special permit (called “concession” – “concessione” in Italian) by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. We will explore the history of the legislation on this permit and the current policy for issuing it, showing how the State policy led to a progressive exclusion of amateurs from this field. We will finally highlight the lack of evidence-based policy making in Italy, and call for a multi-stakeholder perspective in research design.
Archaeology of archaeology: recostructing history of a profession in Italy
This abstract has been read during European professional associations session during EAA 20th conference in Istanbul : we tried to reconstruct the history of the archaeological profession in Italy after the second WW, focusing on some of the breakthroughs we thought were diagnostic to understand the current situation of Archaeology in Italy; it's an history of divisions and misunderstanding between professionals, but also an history from which we have to learn, if we want to succeed in representing a cathegory.