Political Sciences and International Security

ERNESTO CALOGERO SFERRAZZA PAPA

Acquiring a full command of the fundamental concepts of the discipline, developing significant argumentative and critical skills.

At the end of the course, the student will have learnt the fundamentals of the anthropological-political debate; matured the ability to critically analyse philosophical arguments; developed the ability to propose and defend philosophical theses.

Competences acquired with a bachelor's degree in political science or philosophy are enough. Students with other backgrounds have to contact the professor.

The Suffering of Others. The Gaze as a Political Issue.

Looking is never a neutral act: it is a social act that implies an ethical and political stance. We decide what to look at and how to look at it, what kind of spectator to be in the face of the world: disenchanted, supportive, cynical, a rescuer, an accomplice, or indifferent. Through a journey spanning aesthetics and political reflection, it is possible to outline a phenomenology of gaze regimes that extends to the present day, when the suffering of others can be experienced in real time thanks to social media. This is the question the course seeks to answer: in an age of the obsessive proliferation of images, videos, reels and stories, what political role can the gaze still play? Which roles are now inexorably beyond its reach?

Tre testi a scelta tra i seguenti:

H. Arendt, “La banalità del male. Eichmann a Gerusalemme”, Feltrinelli, 2009
W. Benjamin, “L’opera d’arte nell’epoca della sua riproducibilità tecnica”, Einaudi, 2014
J. Berger, “Modi di vedere”, Bollati Boringhieri, 2015
L. Boltanski, “Lo spettacolo del dolore. Morale umanitaria, media e politica”, Raffaello Cortina, 2000
H. Blumenberg, “Naufragio con spettatore. Paradigma di una metafora dell’esistenza”, il Mulino, 2001
V. Cammarata, “Breve storia femminile dello sguardo”, Istituto Poligrafico Europeo, 2014
S. Cohen, “Stati di negazione. La rimozione del dolore nella società contemporanea”, Carocci, 2002
G. Didi-Huberman, “Immagini malgrado tutto”, Raffaello Cortina, 2003
M. Foucault, “Sorvegliare e punire. Nascita della prigione”, Einaudi, 2014
M. Guerra,” Il limite dello sguardo. Oltre i confini delle immagini”, Raffaello Cortina 2020
R. Hilberg, “Carnefici, vittime, spettatori. La persecuzione degli ebrei 1933-1945”, Mondadori, 1997
S. Sontag, “Davanti al dolore degli altri”, Nottetempo, 2021
A. Zamperini, “Psicologia dell’inerzia e della solidarietà. Lo spettatore di fronte alle atrocità collettive”, Einaudi, 2001.

The course is mainly seminar-based, combining discussion of papers and presentations by students.

Optional but strongly recommended due to the seminar format of the course

There are two ways to pass the exam. Students attending the course may submit a final paper of between 40,000 and 50,000 characters (including spaces) on a topic approved by the teacher. The paper must be submitted within two weeks of the exam session. Attendance at the course will be a significant factor in the assessment. Alternatively, students may take the exam by selecting three books from a list provided by the teacher.

What does the "politicisation of the aesthetic" mean?
What is a gaze regime?
What is the relationship between image and power?