Those wishing to propose a collective volume should prepare a 500 words abstract.
The proposal must seek to address the aims and scopes of the book series.
Normally, two collective volumes are published each year, in the months of March/April and November/December.
Proposals must be sent to the following address:
E-mail: geographiesofanthropocene@gmail.com
EXPIRED
Earthquake risk perception, communication and mitigation strategies across Europe
Edited by
Piero Farabollini
(University of Camerino, Italy),
Francesca Romana Lugeri
(ISPRA, University of Camerino, Italy),
Silvia Mugnano
(University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy);
Dear Colleagues,
We would like to inform you that the third Call for Book Chapters of “Geographies of the Anthropocene” series is intended to become a collective volume titled “Earthquake risk perception, communication and mitigation strategies across Europe” (Language: English).
Scope:
Increasing risks and socio-natural disasters are the effects of an unsustainable interaction between human beings and environment. The current scientific debate underlines that earthquake hazards do not only create damages and destruction but also show the difference vulnerabilities and exposures to risk to the societies. The capacities of a community to respond to earthquakes do not only depend on the emergency conditions created by the impact, but they are also correlated to the pre-disaster settings and circumstances. Therefore, the common perception, according to which human being are victims of the extreme nature events, is only partially true. Socio-natural disasters and even those related to earthquakes might even be the consequences of policy and political decisions.
From the agricultural revolution onwards, human beings have adjusted and shaped the earth to their own needs and comforts. Definitely, our quality of live, heath and habitat conditions have improved. Our societies are leaving longer, better but this does not mean they are less expose to risks and vulnerabilities. Actually, the territories are more and more affected by socio-natural disasters. The profound changes in environmental cycles has brought our societies into a new time and space: the geographies of the Anthropocene.
The book will aim to investigate how socio-natural risks are perceived and communicated and which strategies different communities are implementing to mitigate the seismic risk.
Different experiences and theoretical debate might help to understand how to prevent and protect communities from risk and hazard, however, as the issue is not easy to tackle, a multidisciplinary and cross-national approach is needed. Furthermore, given that the territory is the combination of natural, social and cultural environment, the only and best way through which it can be managed and protected is by exploring its anatomy and physiology. The most recent earthquakes have unequivocally shown the complexity of the phenomena and its multi-scale dynamics. It is then important for the scientific communities to encourage an interdisciplinary collaboration which can provide the general public with correct and clear information on the complex scenario. The book will be partially the outcome of the discussion that took place in Malta at the 36th General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission, in the context of the Session S41; however, we are warmly welcoming other contributions that will enrich the debate.
Important Dates:
January 30, 2019: Book Chapter Proposal deadline;
February 15, 2019: Acceptance/Rejection Notification;
May 15, 2019: Full Chapter Submission;
July 15, 2019: Review notification;
October 15, 2019: Final version chapter submission;
November 2019: Final e-book version available.
Submission Procedure:
Interested authors should submit their proposals (max 500 words) by January 30, 2019, explaining the main topic and the objectives of the chapter. The manuscript proposals (Word or PDF) must be sent by email to the following address: geographiesofanthropocene@gmail.com. Acceptance/Rejection notification will be sent to the authors by February 15, 2019. After the acceptance notification, authors should submit full chapters by May 15, 2019 formatting their manuscripts following the Editor’s guidelines:
Editorial guidelines for authors
The manuscript word count must be between 4500 – 6000 words. This includes tables, illustrations, references, etc. All submissions will be reviewed in a double-blind manner.
Call for Chapter Proposals
Disasters in popular orality
Edited by Domenica Borriello
(Second University of Naples, Italy),
Elisabetta Dall’O’
(University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy),
Giovanni Gugg
(University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy; University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, France)
Dear Colleagues,
we would like to inform you that the second Call for Book Chapters of “Geographies of the Anthropocene” book series is intended to become a collective and multilingual volume titled “Disasters in popular orality” (Languages: English, Italian and French).
Scope:
According to Italo Calvino, fairy tales and legends are all true, because «they are the catalog of destinies that can be given to a man and a woman». Far from being inventions disconnected from reality, the works of popular orality represent, therefore, the kaleidoscope of a certain way of being in the world, of looking at the territory, of relating to nature, of facing life and death. In this sense, they are not “stories of the past”, but specific ways in which collective memory selects and transmits what is worth remembering: they are stories providing a pedagogical function and an interpretation of places, as for the sirens identified with certain rocks, which indicate the danger of some seabeds or specific marine currents; a giant carp that reminds the Japanese of the seismicity of their archipelago and a dragon that for centuries has represented in the Alps the threat of glacial advance; the pied piper that, instead, acts as an allegory of the possible dramatic epidemic (or landslide) in
Hamelin …
This call intends to collect contributions that, by investigating popular and oral literature, focus on narratives related to risk and disasters (“natural”, “technological”, “health”, “ecological”…), as described in the social imaginary, from the most remote eras to the most stringent current affairs. The book will be a precious element for a comprehensive reconstruction of cultural resources that in Italy and Europe (or elsewhere, depending on the contributions) have allowed to face and manage material and spiritual concerns and problems arising from disasters.
Considering the heterogeneity of sources, cases, origins, epochs and narrative modalities, the volume is to be considered an interdisciplinary work; through highly significant case studies, it analyzes the modes of representation of the disaster in a vast corpus of “popular” texts, collected in the archive or ethnographically, but all referable to natural disasters, epidemics and disastrous events related to wars, invasions and political upheavals. In this sense, the emotional and private dimension of the catastrophe, the superstitions and the fantastic figures that often populate fairy tales and legends will assume a new and surprisingly “rational” appearance.
Besides passing from generation to generation a specific selection of the memory of what happened – that is, the salvation from the catastrophe despite the destruction and continuity of the community despite the fracture brought by the calamity -, oral / popular literature acts as “memory of the lived experience”, that is, conveys a story of the present that is measured day by day with forms of existential precariousness, in a vision of risk – personal and collective – which is now conceived as a perennial societal state. The need for reassurance is therefore also entrusted to narratives that, acting as a mediator between an uncertain present and a selected and sweetened, but in any case “known”, past are used as conventional and formalized methods in which to express specific communication emotions and relief, protection and continuity. As Gilbert Keith Chesterton reminds us, «fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed».
I disastri nell’oralità popolare (Italian language)
Secondo Italo Calvino, le fiabe e le leggende sono tutte vere, perché «sono il catalogo dei destini che possono darsi a un uomo e a una donna». Lungi dall’essere invenzioni scollegate dalla realtà, le opere dell’oralità popolare rappresentano, pertanto, il caleidoscopio di un certo modo di stare al mondo, di guardare al territorio, di relazionarsi alla natura, di affrontare la vita e la morte. In questo senso non sono “storie del passato”, bensì specifiche modalità con cui la memoria collettiva seleziona e tramanda ciò che vale la pena essere ricordato: sono racconti dalla funzione pedagogica e di interpretazione dei luoghi, come ad esempio le sirene identificate con determinati scogli, che indicano la pericolosità di certi fondali o di specifiche correnti marine; una carpa gigante che ricorda ai giapponesi la sismicità del loro arcipelago e un drago che per secoli ha rappresentato sulle Alpi la minaccia dell’avanzata glaciale; il pifferaio che, invece, funge da allegoria della possibile drammatica epidemia (o frana) ad Hamelin…
La presente call intende raccogliere contributi che, indagando la letteratura popolare e orale, si focalizzino sulle narrazioni riconducibili al rischio e ai disastri(“naturale”, “tecnologico”, “sanitario”, “ecologico”…), così come declinati nell’immaginario collettivo, dalle epoche più remote all’attualità più stringente. Il volume rappresenterà un tassello prezioso per una complessiva ricostruzione delle risorse culturali che in Italia e in Europa (o altrove, a seconda dei contributi) hanno permesso di far fronte e gestire i problemi e le inquietudini materiali e spirituali derivanti dalle catastrofi.
Considerando l’eterogeneità delle fonti, dei casi, delle provenienze, delle epoche e delle modalità narrative, il volume è da considerarsi un lavoro interdisciplinare che, attraverso dei case-studies altamente significativi, analizzi i modi di rappresentazione del disastro in un vasto corpus di testi “popolari”, raccolti in archivio o etnograficamente, ma tutti riconducibili a delle calamità naturali, delle epidemie e degli eventi disastrosi connessi a guerre, invasioni e rivolgimenti politici. In questo senso, la dimensione emotiva e privata della catastrofe, le superstizioni e le figure fantastiche che sovente popolano fiabe e leggende assumeranno una veste inedita e sorprendentemente “razionale”.
Accanto al tramandare di generazione in generazione una specifica selezione della memoria di quel che accadde – cioè, la salvezza dalla catastrofe nonostante le distruzioni e la continuità della comunità nonostante la frattura apportata dalla calamità –, la letteratura orale/popolare funge da “memoria dell’esperienza vissuta”, ossia trasmette un racconto del presente che si misura giorno dopo giorno con forme di precarietà esistenziale, in una visione del rischio – personale e collettivo – che è concepito ormai come uno stato perenne in cui riversa la società. L’esigenza della rassicurazione è affidata dunque anche a narrazioni che, svolgendo una funzione di mediazione tra un presente incerto e un passato selezionato ed edulcorato, ma comunque “noto”, si pongono come modalità convenzionali e formalizzate in cui esprimere delle emozioni specifiche di comunicazione e sollievo, di protezione e continuità. Come ci ricorda Gilbert Keith Chesterton, «le favole servono a spiegare ai bambini che i draghi possono essere sconfitti».
Les catastrophes dans l’oralité populaire (French language)
Selon Italo Calvino, les contes de fées et les légendes sont tous vrais, car «ils sont le catalogue des destins qui peuvent être donnés à un homme et à une femme». Loin d’être des inventions déconnectées de la réalité, les œuvres d’oralité populaire représentent donc le kaléidoscope d’une certaine manière d’être au monde, de regarder le territoire, de se rapporter à la nature, de faire face à la vie et à la mort.
En ce sens, ils ne sont pas des «histoires du passé», mais des façons spécifiques par lesquelles la mémoire collective sélectionne et transmet ce qui mérite d’être rappelé: ces histoires ont une fonction pédagogique et peuvent offrir une interprétation des lieux. C’est le cas, par exemple, des sirènes, qui indiquent le danger de certains fonds ou courants marins ; de la carpe géante qui rappelle aux Japonais la sismicité de leur archipel ; du dragon qui pendant des siècles a représenté dans les Alpes la menace de l’avancée glaciaire; ou encore du joueur de flûte qui agit comme une allégorie de l’éventuelle épidémie dramatique (ou glissement de terrain) à Hamelin…
Cet appel vise à recueillir des contributions qui, en étudiant la littérature populaire et orale, se concentrent sur des récits liés aux risques et aux catastrophes («naturel», «technologique», «sanitaires», «écologiques»…) tels que décrits dans l’imaginaire collective, à partir des époques les plus anciennes jusqu’à l’actualité. Le livre sera un élément précieux pour une reconstruction complète des ressources culturelles qui, en Italie et en Europe (ou ailleurs, selon les contributions), ont permis de faire face et de gérer les problèmes matériels et spirituels ainsi que les préoccupations découlant des catastrophes.
Considérant l’hétérogénéité des sources, des cas, des origines, des époques et des modalités narratives, le volume doit être considéré comme un travail interdisciplinaire ; par des études de cas très significatifs, il analyse les modes de représentation du désastre dans un vaste corpus de textes «populaires», recueillis dans les archives ou ethnographiquement, mais tous se rapportant à des catastrophes naturelles, des épidémies et des événements désastreux liés aux guerres, aux invasions et aux bouleversements politiques. En ce sens, la dimension émotionnelle et privée de la catastrophe, les superstitions et les figures fantastiques qui peuplent souvent les contes de fées et les légendes prendront une allure nouvelle et étonnamment «rationnelle».
En plus de transmettre de génération en génération une sélection spécifique de la mémoire de ce qui s’est passé – c’est le salut par la catastrophe, malgré la destruction et la continuité de la communauté malgré la fracture causée par la catastrophe -, la littérature orale / populaire agit comme une «mémoire de l’expérience vécue », qui transmet une histoire de ce qui est mesuré tous les jours avec des formes d’existence précaires et par une vision du risque – personnelle et collective – considéré comme un état permanent dans lequel la société se déverse. La nécessité de rassurer est donc confiée aussi aux narrations qui, en exerçant une fonction de médiation entre un certain présent et un passé choisi et « connu », sont présentées comme modalités conventionnelles et formalisées pour exprimer des spécifiques émotions de communication et soulagement, de protection et continuité. Comme le rappelle Gilbert Keith Chesterton, «les contes disent aux enfants que les dragons peuvent être vaincus».
Important Dates:
July 15, 2018: Book Chapter Proposal deadline;
July 31, 2018: Acceptance / Rejection Notification;
October 31, 2018: Full Chapter Submission;
December 31, 2018: Review notification;
February 28, 2019: Final version chapter submission;
April 2019: Final e-book version available.
Submission Procedure:
Interested authors should submit their proposals (max 500 words) by July 15, 2018, explaining the main topic and the objectives of the chapter. The manuscript proposals (Word or PDF) must be sent by email to the following address: geographiesofanthropocene@gmail.com.
Acceptance/Rejection notification will be sent to the authors by July 31, 2018.
After the acceptance notification, authors should submit full chapters by October 31, 2018 formatting their manuscripts following the Editor’s guidelines:
Editorial guidelines for authors
The manuscript word count must be between 4500 – 6000 words. This includes tables, illustrations, references, etc. All submissions will be reviewed in a double-blind manner.
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