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The Cosmos: The Next Frontier. The Cinema & History course returns in 2024

Cinema & History, the free training and refresher course for secondary school teachers, is set to resume in February 2024. Now in its twelfth edition, it is promoted by the Pirelli Foundation and by Fondazione ISEC in collaboration with the Cinema Beltrade in Milan.

The Cosmos: The Next Frontier is the title of the new course which, in six online sessions, will investigate cosmic space: an other-worldly place, yet an age-old wellspring of inspiration for the most daring explorers, and one that is closer than ever and now within reach.

Countless intriguing questions are in search of answers. How has space become a factor in the geopolitical and strategic calculations of the great world powers? What impact did the launch of artificial satellites have on the processes of globalisation and on the rise to the infosphere that we live in today? In what words and forms has space influenced the world of literature, shaping the popular imagination of successive generations? Can we interweave the history of women’s struggles with that of the conquest of space? And lastly, what role does the Italian aerospace industry play in this unfolding adventure?

The five historical lessons will be accompanied by a series of films selected by Cinema Beltrade and there will be a cinema workshop to help teachers use the medium of film in the classroom.

Sessions are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the following dates:

Monday 19 February
Monday 26 February
Monday 4 March
Monday 11 March
Monday 18 March
Tuesday 26 March

Registration is free but required, and will be possible from 8 January. Please write to didattica2@fondazioneisec.it.
Places on the course are limited and registrations will be accepted in order of receipt.
The meetings will be held live on the Microsoft Teams platform.

For the detailed programme of the new edition click here

Cinema & History, the free training and refresher course for secondary school teachers, is set to resume in February 2024. Now in its twelfth edition, it is promoted by the Pirelli Foundation and by Fondazione ISEC in collaboration with the Cinema Beltrade in Milan.

The Cosmos: The Next Frontier is the title of the new course which, in six online sessions, will investigate cosmic space: an other-worldly place, yet an age-old wellspring of inspiration for the most daring explorers, and one that is closer than ever and now within reach.

Countless intriguing questions are in search of answers. How has space become a factor in the geopolitical and strategic calculations of the great world powers? What impact did the launch of artificial satellites have on the processes of globalisation and on the rise to the infosphere that we live in today? In what words and forms has space influenced the world of literature, shaping the popular imagination of successive generations? Can we interweave the history of women’s struggles with that of the conquest of space? And lastly, what role does the Italian aerospace industry play in this unfolding adventure?

The five historical lessons will be accompanied by a series of films selected by Cinema Beltrade and there will be a cinema workshop to help teachers use the medium of film in the classroom.

Sessions are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the following dates:

Monday 19 February
Monday 26 February
Monday 4 March
Monday 11 March
Monday 18 March
Tuesday 26 March

Registration is free but required, and will be possible from 8 January. Please write to didattica2@fondazioneisec.it.
Places on the course are limited and registrations will be accepted in order of receipt.
The meetings will be held live on the Microsoft Teams platform.

For the detailed programme of the new edition click here

Human connections

The importance of “human capital” as the true foundation for success in all businesses

 

Human connections and bonds the foundation of everything – even the most innovative and technological of businesses. The sharing of ideas, models and strategies driven not by digital connectivity, but from interpersonal relationships.

These are the assumptions underlying the new book “Innovationship. L’innovazione guidata dal capitale relazionale” (Innovationship. Innovation driven by relational capital) by Benedetto Buono and Federico Frattini.
Humanity must come first, then. Since we’re accustomed to believing that the fundamental ingredients for successful innovation are two: financial capital and technological capital. In reality, today these resources are widely available and accessible. To succeed in standing out – the plausible thesis of Buono and Frattini runs – the added value must be sought elsewhere, for example in the relational capital of those who lead and govern innovation,

in thought and in relationships. According to the two authors, this is the secret ingredient that can speed up all the typical phases of the production process and make them more efficient.

However it’s very easy to say, but complex to achieve in reality. It requires strategy and clear ideas, as well as replicable and structured work models and schemes. Which is where this book comes in, which is presented in narrative form – rather than as a simple “manual” – even if the text is accompanied by tools and models for practical use. The authors put forward three basic steps: the construction, activation, and use of relational capital for innovation. The first step must be done over time and requires the relationships initiated to be continuously nourished. The authors explain that it is not enough to build relationships; they must be managed and maintained as time goes on. Once the relational capital for innovative purposes has been built, it needs to be activated, forming a tight-knit core of people connected by solid and lasting personal and professional social relationships. Then comes the utilisation of capital: this too is a step to be nurtured and developed over time.

Finally, Buono and Frattini also identify the figure of the “superconnector”, a professional capable of giving access to large relational pools, which may even very different to our own or highly internally diversified.
“In conclusion,” the authors comment, “this book talks about incredibly simple concepts, but as always happens when dealing with something simple, they are very powerful. Understanding that relational capital has the same importance as the other types of resources available to a company, that it is the fundamental asset to design and implement a true open innovation strategy, and that, above all, there is a replicable model to achieve this goal and ways to approach it strategically, is the key to everything.” This is a must-read book from Buono and Frattini.

Innovationship. L’innovazione guidata dal capitale relazionale

Benedetto Buono, Federico Frattini

Egea, 2023

The importance of “human capital” as the true foundation for success in all businesses

 

Human connections and bonds the foundation of everything – even the most innovative and technological of businesses. The sharing of ideas, models and strategies driven not by digital connectivity, but from interpersonal relationships.

These are the assumptions underlying the new book “Innovationship. L’innovazione guidata dal capitale relazionale” (Innovationship. Innovation driven by relational capital) by Benedetto Buono and Federico Frattini.
Humanity must come first, then. Since we’re accustomed to believing that the fundamental ingredients for successful innovation are two: financial capital and technological capital. In reality, today these resources are widely available and accessible. To succeed in standing out – the plausible thesis of Buono and Frattini runs – the added value must be sought elsewhere, for example in the relational capital of those who lead and govern innovation,

in thought and in relationships. According to the two authors, this is the secret ingredient that can speed up all the typical phases of the production process and make them more efficient.

However it’s very easy to say, but complex to achieve in reality. It requires strategy and clear ideas, as well as replicable and structured work models and schemes. Which is where this book comes in, which is presented in narrative form – rather than as a simple “manual” – even if the text is accompanied by tools and models for practical use. The authors put forward three basic steps: the construction, activation, and use of relational capital for innovation. The first step must be done over time and requires the relationships initiated to be continuously nourished. The authors explain that it is not enough to build relationships; they must be managed and maintained as time goes on. Once the relational capital for innovative purposes has been built, it needs to be activated, forming a tight-knit core of people connected by solid and lasting personal and professional social relationships. Then comes the utilisation of capital: this too is a step to be nurtured and developed over time.

Finally, Buono and Frattini also identify the figure of the “superconnector”, a professional capable of giving access to large relational pools, which may even very different to our own or highly internally diversified.
“In conclusion,” the authors comment, “this book talks about incredibly simple concepts, but as always happens when dealing with something simple, they are very powerful. Understanding that relational capital has the same importance as the other types of resources available to a company, that it is the fundamental asset to design and implement a true open innovation strategy, and that, above all, there is a replicable model to achieve this goal and ways to approach it strategically, is the key to everything.” This is a must-read book from Buono and Frattini.

Innovationship. L’innovazione guidata dal capitale relazionale

Benedetto Buono, Federico Frattini

Egea, 2023

Good education for a good working culture

Research published that seeks to define the contours of the relationship between training, skills and professional culture

  

Which is the best school to prepare for work? And what (vocational) training can best introduce young people to the company? Education, training, work; but also school and enterprise, entrepreneurship as a vocation or as training. Important themes, which have not just been chasing each other since today and are constantly contaminating each other. Themes that, by the way, can change depending on the social systems in which they are declined.

It is around all this that Robert Messanh Amavi (CIRNEF, Normandy University, Normandy, France) reasoned in his paper ‘The Interactions Between “Business” Culture, “Professional” Culture and Training’ recently published in Sociology Study.

The author takes one consideration as the basis of his investigation: the fundamental questions of the educational sciences always remain economic and social. Having said that, Amavi emphasises how the interactions between ‘business’ culture, ‘professional’ culture and education are part of this set of problems and how it is necessary, in order to better understand them, to go ‘out into the field’ to see how they really unfold. Therefore, Amavi specifies that his reflection is based on empirical research (on the medical professions which, however, provides elements that can be generalised to other sectors) that provided the material on which to try to construct a theoretical interpretation of the observed reality.

Amavi then begins to reason about the relationship between job culture and professional culture and then comes to the question of what is most ‘desirable’ in order to activate an effective and productive professional culture training. This step is a prelude to a deeper understanding of the interactions between ‘professional practice’ and ‘professional culture’ and thus of the necessary traits that each person must acquire in order to find a proper place in the world of work.

Amavi concludes with an observation: there is a kind of virtuous triangle between training, skills and work that benefits from constant positive cues and needs to be cultivated and developed.

The Interactions Between “Business” Culture, “Professional” Culture and Training

Robert Messanh Amavi

Sociology Study, Sept.-Oct. 2023, Vol. 13, No. 5, 215-241

Research published that seeks to define the contours of the relationship between training, skills and professional culture

  

Which is the best school to prepare for work? And what (vocational) training can best introduce young people to the company? Education, training, work; but also school and enterprise, entrepreneurship as a vocation or as training. Important themes, which have not just been chasing each other since today and are constantly contaminating each other. Themes that, by the way, can change depending on the social systems in which they are declined.

It is around all this that Robert Messanh Amavi (CIRNEF, Normandy University, Normandy, France) reasoned in his paper ‘The Interactions Between “Business” Culture, “Professional” Culture and Training’ recently published in Sociology Study.

The author takes one consideration as the basis of his investigation: the fundamental questions of the educational sciences always remain economic and social. Having said that, Amavi emphasises how the interactions between ‘business’ culture, ‘professional’ culture and education are part of this set of problems and how it is necessary, in order to better understand them, to go ‘out into the field’ to see how they really unfold. Therefore, Amavi specifies that his reflection is based on empirical research (on the medical professions which, however, provides elements that can be generalised to other sectors) that provided the material on which to try to construct a theoretical interpretation of the observed reality.

Amavi then begins to reason about the relationship between job culture and professional culture and then comes to the question of what is most ‘desirable’ in order to activate an effective and productive professional culture training. This step is a prelude to a deeper understanding of the interactions between ‘professional practice’ and ‘professional culture’ and thus of the necessary traits that each person must acquire in order to find a proper place in the world of work.

Amavi concludes with an observation: there is a kind of virtuous triangle between training, skills and work that benefits from constant positive cues and needs to be cultivated and developed.

The Interactions Between “Business” Culture, “Professional” Culture and Training

Robert Messanh Amavi

Sociology Study, Sept.-Oct. 2023, Vol. 13, No. 5, 215-241

Good provincial high schools outperform city schools and dialogue with businesses, with an eye to the future

Italian provinces are full of life, often anything but provincial. If anything, they’re driven by sparks of initiative, social sensitivity and cultural passions that testify, yet again, to the richness of community spirit and strength of desire for change, resistance and defiance in the face of the ever-present risk of deterioration. Confirmation arrives from two different worlds that are becomingly increasingly concerned with dialogue: businesses and schools. Businesses ”in the shadow of the bell towers”, that is, in the broad territory of cities and towns, are widespread, producing “beautiful objects that the world appreciates” (definition courtesy of the great economic historian Carlo Maria Cipolla). And through cultural commitment and high-quality teaching, provincial schools have grown to the extent of contesting the leadership of the most famous big-city high schools in educational excellence but also in opportunities for successfully entering the workplace.

Highly significant confirmation of this comes from the rankings drawn up by Eduscopio, in the tenth edition of the interactive map of Italian high schools compiled by Fondazione Agnelli (all data at www.eduscopio.it). The best school in Italy is the Nervi-Ferrari applied science high school in Morbegno, in the province of Sondrio (winner for the second year running). And even in the metropolitan areas, to give some examples, Milan’s most famous classical high schools have been overtaken by a high school in Cinisello Balsamo, Casiraghi, ahead of the prestigious Berchet and Parini, while in Turin, the Salesian Istituto Edoardo Agnelli comes ahead of the traditionally eminent Galileo Ferraris. “High school ranking. The province beats city schools,” headlines the Corriere della Sera (22 November). “This year too, the top high school is provincial,” writes la Repubblica.

The Eduscopio ranking (La Stampa, 22 November) is unusual and highly interesting: it is compiled by analysing data from 1,326,000 high-school graduates from 7,850 schools throughout Italy, in school years 2017–2020, calculating their university results (exams taken and average marks) and job positions (employment rate and consistency between studies and work) one year after graduation. In short, it investigates relationships between the quality of education and the labour market. This provides families with helpful information on choosing schools for their children, irrespective of the institutions’ reputations, the conventional wisdom, and the current opinions of friends and family.

This picture, drawn up according to scientific criteria, indicates that despite limitations and crisis, Italian education has its own quality, to be promoted and consolidated. It also indicates that many of the best educational institutions are those capable of making good use of the flexibility available to them to work on interdisciplinary training, innovation in teaching methods and content and cultural developments.

Confirmation comes from the judgements of the teachers at the Casiraghi high school in Cinisello, top school in Milan, 1,200 students on classical, scientific and linguistic curricula, within a large school cluster of 5,000 students in the northern Milan area, once the industrial outskirts of large manufacturing complexes: “Moving past the stereotypes of the outskirts as spaces of want, despite awareness of the problems that exist, I encountered humanity and dignity here. And the classical curriculum, for the people here, results from personal choice, without pressure from families or wanting to attend a school for the prestige alone,” says head of school Delio Pistolesi (Corriere della Sera, 23 November).

Its strengths? The modern physics laboratory, managed by teachers who trained at CERN in Geneva. And the school is always open in the afternoons for meetings, experiments, various types of courses (photography, theatre, literature, etc.).

In short, it’s polytechnic culture in dialogue with humanistic and scientific knowledge, the ideal scope for an age of thoroughly and rapidly evolving knowledge.

Rankings aside, these motifs recur also in the project of a newly created high school in Monza, the provincial capital of industrial Brianza, run by Assolombarda in collaboration with Collegio Villoresi: a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) high school, that is, founded on original syntheses of science subjects and art, literature, history and philosophy. It’s a four-year course, not five. A large part of the teaching is in English, with workshops organised according to educational criteria from the English-speaking world. There are hours dedicated to the performing arts (theatre, music and dance) and new digital cultures. “This is where the skills most in demand among companies in Lombardy are developed,” maintains head of school Laura Andreoni. And while it’s true that schools must first and foremost engender critical culture, ‘learning to learn’ and a responsible, inclusive community spirit, it is equally true that educational experimentation requires space, opportunities and resources. And it is precisely from this point of view that the dialogue between school, the world of business and enterprise, with its values of competitiveness and inclusiveness, can offer interesting opportunities, a more contemporary ‘eye to the future’.

(photo Getty Images)

Italian provinces are full of life, often anything but provincial. If anything, they’re driven by sparks of initiative, social sensitivity and cultural passions that testify, yet again, to the richness of community spirit and strength of desire for change, resistance and defiance in the face of the ever-present risk of deterioration. Confirmation arrives from two different worlds that are becomingly increasingly concerned with dialogue: businesses and schools. Businesses ”in the shadow of the bell towers”, that is, in the broad territory of cities and towns, are widespread, producing “beautiful objects that the world appreciates” (definition courtesy of the great economic historian Carlo Maria Cipolla). And through cultural commitment and high-quality teaching, provincial schools have grown to the extent of contesting the leadership of the most famous big-city high schools in educational excellence but also in opportunities for successfully entering the workplace.

Highly significant confirmation of this comes from the rankings drawn up by Eduscopio, in the tenth edition of the interactive map of Italian high schools compiled by Fondazione Agnelli (all data at www.eduscopio.it). The best school in Italy is the Nervi-Ferrari applied science high school in Morbegno, in the province of Sondrio (winner for the second year running). And even in the metropolitan areas, to give some examples, Milan’s most famous classical high schools have been overtaken by a high school in Cinisello Balsamo, Casiraghi, ahead of the prestigious Berchet and Parini, while in Turin, the Salesian Istituto Edoardo Agnelli comes ahead of the traditionally eminent Galileo Ferraris. “High school ranking. The province beats city schools,” headlines the Corriere della Sera (22 November). “This year too, the top high school is provincial,” writes la Repubblica.

The Eduscopio ranking (La Stampa, 22 November) is unusual and highly interesting: it is compiled by analysing data from 1,326,000 high-school graduates from 7,850 schools throughout Italy, in school years 2017–2020, calculating their university results (exams taken and average marks) and job positions (employment rate and consistency between studies and work) one year after graduation. In short, it investigates relationships between the quality of education and the labour market. This provides families with helpful information on choosing schools for their children, irrespective of the institutions’ reputations, the conventional wisdom, and the current opinions of friends and family.

This picture, drawn up according to scientific criteria, indicates that despite limitations and crisis, Italian education has its own quality, to be promoted and consolidated. It also indicates that many of the best educational institutions are those capable of making good use of the flexibility available to them to work on interdisciplinary training, innovation in teaching methods and content and cultural developments.

Confirmation comes from the judgements of the teachers at the Casiraghi high school in Cinisello, top school in Milan, 1,200 students on classical, scientific and linguistic curricula, within a large school cluster of 5,000 students in the northern Milan area, once the industrial outskirts of large manufacturing complexes: “Moving past the stereotypes of the outskirts as spaces of want, despite awareness of the problems that exist, I encountered humanity and dignity here. And the classical curriculum, for the people here, results from personal choice, without pressure from families or wanting to attend a school for the prestige alone,” says head of school Delio Pistolesi (Corriere della Sera, 23 November).

Its strengths? The modern physics laboratory, managed by teachers who trained at CERN in Geneva. And the school is always open in the afternoons for meetings, experiments, various types of courses (photography, theatre, literature, etc.).

In short, it’s polytechnic culture in dialogue with humanistic and scientific knowledge, the ideal scope for an age of thoroughly and rapidly evolving knowledge.

Rankings aside, these motifs recur also in the project of a newly created high school in Monza, the provincial capital of industrial Brianza, run by Assolombarda in collaboration with Collegio Villoresi: a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) high school, that is, founded on original syntheses of science subjects and art, literature, history and philosophy. It’s a four-year course, not five. A large part of the teaching is in English, with workshops organised according to educational criteria from the English-speaking world. There are hours dedicated to the performing arts (theatre, music and dance) and new digital cultures. “This is where the skills most in demand among companies in Lombardy are developed,” maintains head of school Laura Andreoni. And while it’s true that schools must first and foremost engender critical culture, ‘learning to learn’ and a responsible, inclusive community spirit, it is equally true that educational experimentation requires space, opportunities and resources. And it is precisely from this point of view that the dialogue between school, the world of business and enterprise, with its values of competitiveness and inclusiveness, can offer interesting opportunities, a more contemporary ‘eye to the future’.

(photo Getty Images)

Pirelli in Romania: A Powerhouse of Excellence 

Pirelli’s presence in Romania is one of great commitment to high-end manufacturing and environmental sustainability, and a close focus on people. It all started when a plant was set up to manufacture V-belts, but it continued with the creation of one of the world’s most important and advanced tyre manufacturing facilities. “New Pirelli Factory in Romania” was the title with which, in its issue no. 5 of 1974, the Fatti e Notizie house organ broke the news of the creation of a new Pirelli plant in Brașov. The unit started operations in late 1975 and became “the heart of the modern rubber industry in Romania”. This was the first step towards what was to come later: a far greater eastward expansion of the group’s activities.

26 October 2006 was a historic date in terms of Pirelli’s operations in Romania. This was the day when the Slatina plant was inaugurated. It was the most modern factory of its kind in the world, with the sole exception of the robotic MIRS plants, also by Pirelli. The Pirelli facility in Slatina extends across 500,000 square metres and is destined to produce 4.5 million high-performance tyres per year. All in keeping with the Pirelli approach: a great focus on efficiency but also on people, who will be integrated into the context and culture of one of the most advanced industrial and technological concerns in the sector. The strategic importance of Romania for Pirelli is clear to see, particularly in the Slatina plant. And indeed an extension of the plant was opened in the presence of the Head of Government in 2011. Further work was then carried out between 2013 and 2017. In 2013, Fatti e Notizie explained how the factory employed around 3,500 people, and the number was set to rise to 4,000 in 2017.

But what is Romania for Pirelli? Romania is a production and logistics platform but also a research laboratory, where new production solutions are tested. Indeed, the design of the Slatina plant became a blueprint for facilities in Mexico and Indonesia. Slatina is a test bed for new technological solutions, but it is also the very heart of Pirelli in one of its most important markets. For this reason, other industrial activities have been developed alongside manufacturing over the years, making it a platform for logistics, IT and commercial services to assist expansion towards Eastern countries.

But there is more, for during the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Pirelli combined its industrial presence in Romania with various research partnerships, with the universities of Bucharest and Craiova, and it also promoted many social and cultural activities. These include work to spread Italian culture in Slatina, providing support for partnerships between Milan’s Niguarda Hospital and the hospital in Slatina, as well as the Inter Campus initiative with FC Internazionale Milano, dedicated to the city’s children. And, of course, there is the environment: an issue addressed from many points of view. As well as taking care of the environmental impacts of every stage of the production cycle, Pirelli also works on numerous initiatives for the local community in Slatina. These include “Fii orasul reciclarii”, a competition supported by Pirelli, which rewards the best “Recycling City” in Romania. Every year, the company also promotes training projects for citizens on the issue of separate waste collection.

Over the years, Pirelli’s presence in Romania has become synonymous with manufacturing excellence, and a model of the business and work culture that the Long P helps extend throughout the world.

Pirelli’s presence in Romania is one of great commitment to high-end manufacturing and environmental sustainability, and a close focus on people. It all started when a plant was set up to manufacture V-belts, but it continued with the creation of one of the world’s most important and advanced tyre manufacturing facilities. “New Pirelli Factory in Romania” was the title with which, in its issue no. 5 of 1974, the Fatti e Notizie house organ broke the news of the creation of a new Pirelli plant in Brașov. The unit started operations in late 1975 and became “the heart of the modern rubber industry in Romania”. This was the first step towards what was to come later: a far greater eastward expansion of the group’s activities.

26 October 2006 was a historic date in terms of Pirelli’s operations in Romania. This was the day when the Slatina plant was inaugurated. It was the most modern factory of its kind in the world, with the sole exception of the robotic MIRS plants, also by Pirelli. The Pirelli facility in Slatina extends across 500,000 square metres and is destined to produce 4.5 million high-performance tyres per year. All in keeping with the Pirelli approach: a great focus on efficiency but also on people, who will be integrated into the context and culture of one of the most advanced industrial and technological concerns in the sector. The strategic importance of Romania for Pirelli is clear to see, particularly in the Slatina plant. And indeed an extension of the plant was opened in the presence of the Head of Government in 2011. Further work was then carried out between 2013 and 2017. In 2013, Fatti e Notizie explained how the factory employed around 3,500 people, and the number was set to rise to 4,000 in 2017.

But what is Romania for Pirelli? Romania is a production and logistics platform but also a research laboratory, where new production solutions are tested. Indeed, the design of the Slatina plant became a blueprint for facilities in Mexico and Indonesia. Slatina is a test bed for new technological solutions, but it is also the very heart of Pirelli in one of its most important markets. For this reason, other industrial activities have been developed alongside manufacturing over the years, making it a platform for logistics, IT and commercial services to assist expansion towards Eastern countries.

But there is more, for during the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Pirelli combined its industrial presence in Romania with various research partnerships, with the universities of Bucharest and Craiova, and it also promoted many social and cultural activities. These include work to spread Italian culture in Slatina, providing support for partnerships between Milan’s Niguarda Hospital and the hospital in Slatina, as well as the Inter Campus initiative with FC Internazionale Milano, dedicated to the city’s children. And, of course, there is the environment: an issue addressed from many points of view. As well as taking care of the environmental impacts of every stage of the production cycle, Pirelli also works on numerous initiatives for the local community in Slatina. These include “Fii orasul reciclarii”, a competition supported by Pirelli, which rewards the best “Recycling City” in Romania. Every year, the company also promotes training projects for citizens on the issue of separate waste collection.

Over the years, Pirelli’s presence in Romania has become synonymous with manufacturing excellence, and a model of the business and work culture that the Long P helps extend throughout the world.

Multimedia

Images

AI: a focus on humanity

The delicate balance between technology, the role and protection of individuals

Artificial Intelligence: the last frontier of innovation and technology – for companies no less than for humanity as a whole. It is, however, a prospect to be considered very carefully, without losing sight of people – in production organisations as well.

This is what the recently published collection of studies Algoritmi, sicurezza ed etica dell’innovazione: la persona al centro della transizione digitale (Algorithms, Security and the Ethics of Innovation: the person at the centre of the digital transition) by Alessandro Alonsi and Fabio Pompei seeks – successfully – to achieve.

The argument of the two authors – who combine narrative ability and technical competence – starts from an observation: “Increasingly, citizens are unable to control what goes on around them, immersed in and overloaded by artificial stressors. Using computers too, apparently fundamental and extraordinarily helpful in handling everyday life, can intimidate people or threaten communication infrastructure and the security of devices if not properly directed.” Hence the move towards AI, which if not used ethically, they explain, “can contribute to social inequality, increase discrimination and put democracy at risk, with consequent repercussions on individual rights and health.”

From these basic considerations, the argument unfolds along a path with several stages: it starts from the topic of “the security of society in the new online world” then proceeds to explore a number of points: online data, young people’s difficulties when faced with the web, problems connected with past events and memory, the safety of the metaverse. Alonsi and Pompei don’t neglect the “good side” of technology either, however, of which there are some notable examples in any case.

Alonsi and Pompei’s book should be read carefully, containing as it does a message that is only apparently obvious: not everything in life can be reduced to a simple code, and it is more necessary than ever to understand the risks and limitations of innovations, unlocking their potential through shrewd and conscious management. The authors write: “Digital abstinence is not (…) a realistic option today. (…) A new physical, metaphysical and virtual reality envelops us, changes us, transforms perceptions, language and ways of seeing reality. It is up to us to keep our feet firmly on the ground, despite the fact that our heads will be increasingly immersed in the cloud.” It’s a situation that applies to production and social organisations, as well as to individuals.

Algoritmi, sicurezza ed etica dell’innovazione : la persona al centro della transizione digitale (Algorithms, Security and the Ethics of Innovation: the person at the centre of the digital transition

Alessandro Alonsi, Fabio Pompei

Tab Edizione, 2023

The delicate balance between technology, the role and protection of individuals

Artificial Intelligence: the last frontier of innovation and technology – for companies no less than for humanity as a whole. It is, however, a prospect to be considered very carefully, without losing sight of people – in production organisations as well.

This is what the recently published collection of studies Algoritmi, sicurezza ed etica dell’innovazione: la persona al centro della transizione digitale (Algorithms, Security and the Ethics of Innovation: the person at the centre of the digital transition) by Alessandro Alonsi and Fabio Pompei seeks – successfully – to achieve.

The argument of the two authors – who combine narrative ability and technical competence – starts from an observation: “Increasingly, citizens are unable to control what goes on around them, immersed in and overloaded by artificial stressors. Using computers too, apparently fundamental and extraordinarily helpful in handling everyday life, can intimidate people or threaten communication infrastructure and the security of devices if not properly directed.” Hence the move towards AI, which if not used ethically, they explain, “can contribute to social inequality, increase discrimination and put democracy at risk, with consequent repercussions on individual rights and health.”

From these basic considerations, the argument unfolds along a path with several stages: it starts from the topic of “the security of society in the new online world” then proceeds to explore a number of points: online data, young people’s difficulties when faced with the web, problems connected with past events and memory, the safety of the metaverse. Alonsi and Pompei don’t neglect the “good side” of technology either, however, of which there are some notable examples in any case.

Alonsi and Pompei’s book should be read carefully, containing as it does a message that is only apparently obvious: not everything in life can be reduced to a simple code, and it is more necessary than ever to understand the risks and limitations of innovations, unlocking their potential through shrewd and conscious management. The authors write: “Digital abstinence is not (…) a realistic option today. (…) A new physical, metaphysical and virtual reality envelops us, changes us, transforms perceptions, language and ways of seeing reality. It is up to us to keep our feet firmly on the ground, despite the fact that our heads will be increasingly immersed in the cloud.” It’s a situation that applies to production and social organisations, as well as to individuals.

Algoritmi, sicurezza ed etica dell’innovazione : la persona al centro della transizione digitale (Algorithms, Security and the Ethics of Innovation: the person at the centre of the digital transition

Alessandro Alonsi, Fabio Pompei

Tab Edizione, 2023

Generational class conflict

A book featuring an unconventional analysis of the (complex) relations between different generations

 

A clash between social classes is an old model of the social and productive structure which, though still valid in many respects, is joined (not replaced) by another model of conflict: between classes of generations. These classes carry with them different visions of life, work, production, being together, different world views, cultures that are often light years apart. That includes their understanding of life goals, and how to achieve them.

Beniamino Pagliaro – journalist and keen observer of reality – turns his attention to these knotty issues (of which there are many in this case) in his Boomers contro millennials. Sette bugie sul futuro e come iniziare a cambiare (Boomers vs millennials: 7 lies about the future and how to start changing). It’s a kind of journey, or rather a whirlwind rush, through the contradictions and conflicts in the relationships between different generations. It’s a relationship composed of illusions and lies (as the book’s subtitle suggests), of unsuccessful prospects and others never seized upon, of economic fantasies and of tough realities.

The account takes seven common clichés among the generations into consideration – seven lies. From “study hard and everything will be fine” to “if you work properly you’ll soon be able to afford a house”, and from “politicians will pay attention to young people” to “this is how we always do it now; it’s too late to change”. Pagliaro describes the problems that recent generations have had to face, from contracts with fewer safeguards to phantom, highly theoretical pensions, with the ever-present certainty of ending up – for the first time in more than a century – poorer than your parents. This is how, with a light touch, the author addresses some of today’s big issues. Indeed, there’s more than one reason that so-called ‘young people’ – a concept used glibly, now covering two and a half generations – are finding it harder to establish careers, starting families later and no longer buying houses and are living with a growing concern, verging on obsession, with the climate emergency.

Pagliaro doesn’t merely ‘denounce’ a situation that has now reached a critical juncture, however. The book instead proposes top open a front for dialogue: because interaction between the current ruling class, of baby boomers, and the future ruling class, represented by millennials, can no longer be limited to unending conflict. We need to stop talking about blame, and instead find, once for all, not a scapegoat but solutions to urgent, current problems. It’s a path fraught with difficulties, which certainly can’t simply be overcome by a journalist, but he makes a substantial contribution to doing so by speaking clearly and intelligibly.

Beniamino Pagliaro’s book talks of the recent past, the present and above all the future, an account that serves to start overcoming clichés and healing unhealthy habits rooted in our culture. It’s a good book, one to read and discuss – perhaps even with the author.

Boomers contro millennials. Sette bugie sul futuro e come iniziare a cambiare

Beniamino Pagliaro

HarperCollins, 2023

A book featuring an unconventional analysis of the (complex) relations between different generations

 

A clash between social classes is an old model of the social and productive structure which, though still valid in many respects, is joined (not replaced) by another model of conflict: between classes of generations. These classes carry with them different visions of life, work, production, being together, different world views, cultures that are often light years apart. That includes their understanding of life goals, and how to achieve them.

Beniamino Pagliaro – journalist and keen observer of reality – turns his attention to these knotty issues (of which there are many in this case) in his Boomers contro millennials. Sette bugie sul futuro e come iniziare a cambiare (Boomers vs millennials: 7 lies about the future and how to start changing). It’s a kind of journey, or rather a whirlwind rush, through the contradictions and conflicts in the relationships between different generations. It’s a relationship composed of illusions and lies (as the book’s subtitle suggests), of unsuccessful prospects and others never seized upon, of economic fantasies and of tough realities.

The account takes seven common clichés among the generations into consideration – seven lies. From “study hard and everything will be fine” to “if you work properly you’ll soon be able to afford a house”, and from “politicians will pay attention to young people” to “this is how we always do it now; it’s too late to change”. Pagliaro describes the problems that recent generations have had to face, from contracts with fewer safeguards to phantom, highly theoretical pensions, with the ever-present certainty of ending up – for the first time in more than a century – poorer than your parents. This is how, with a light touch, the author addresses some of today’s big issues. Indeed, there’s more than one reason that so-called ‘young people’ – a concept used glibly, now covering two and a half generations – are finding it harder to establish careers, starting families later and no longer buying houses and are living with a growing concern, verging on obsession, with the climate emergency.

Pagliaro doesn’t merely ‘denounce’ a situation that has now reached a critical juncture, however. The book instead proposes top open a front for dialogue: because interaction between the current ruling class, of baby boomers, and the future ruling class, represented by millennials, can no longer be limited to unending conflict. We need to stop talking about blame, and instead find, once for all, not a scapegoat but solutions to urgent, current problems. It’s a path fraught with difficulties, which certainly can’t simply be overcome by a journalist, but he makes a substantial contribution to doing so by speaking clearly and intelligibly.

Beniamino Pagliaro’s book talks of the recent past, the present and above all the future, an account that serves to start overcoming clichés and healing unhealthy habits rooted in our culture. It’s a good book, one to read and discuss – perhaps even with the author.

Boomers contro millennials. Sette bugie sul futuro e come iniziare a cambiare

Beniamino Pagliaro

HarperCollins, 2023

A law to promote corporate museums and connect memory with sustainable development

A law to promote corporate museums and historical archives, support their activity and encourage companies to create new ones. This is what the Regional Council of Lombardy is discussing; the Productive Activities Commission has already approved the bill and the Chamber will probably have to debate it by the end of November. Recognition rules and financial resources are envisaged for museums of Historic Brands and businesses in collaboration with foundations, schools, local institutions and associations. “The story of modern and contemporary Lombardy is above all a story of industry and progress, in the transition from a society of farming and craftsmanship to a society based on enterprise. A process that has had profound consequences, with changes to society, economy and landscape that we can now document,” says Silvia Scurati, regional councillor (Lega) and rapporteur for the bill. Museums and historical business archives are essential tools in this. There are 64 in Lombardy, 40% of the national figure, and of the 140 members and institutional supporters of Museimpresa, 48 are from Lombardy.

The Lombardy regional law, if approved, could represent a good reference model for other Regional Councils as well, in areas with a wealth of companies, industrial activities and economically significant services. It could also finally encourage positive national legislation. As Museimpresa has been urging for some time now, insisting, for example, on the extension of the Art Bonus to private investments as well, on tax advantages, that is, for those who open and manage corporate museums and historical archives, safeguarding the memory and values of Italian know-how, which – ironically – deserves to be made better known, the construction of a new narrative of entrepreneurship capable of building economic value by leveraging social, cultural and environmental values.

It represents an important boost for the competitiveness of our companies, for their international success, without falling into the traps of sovereignism and protectionism, in times when the strength of a brand is also rooted in what’s known as the ‘stakeholder economy’ (attention to the values and interests of employees, suppliers, consumers and local reference communities). It is also supported by ongoing dialogue between Museimpresa and the Italian Historical Brands Association.

Museimpresa, established more than 20 years ago through the initiative of Assolombarda and Confindustria, brings together large companies (Leonardo, Ferrovie dello Stato, Poste, Assicurazioni Generali, Unipol, Banca Intesa, Pirelli, Dalmine, Bracco, Campari, Fiera Milano, etc.) but also successful medium-sized companies (the “pocket multinationals” operating on global markets and the “big names” of design) and small, dynamic businesses all over the country.

Underpinning the Association’s commitment is the now well-established conviction that companies are communities of people, connected by the innovative project of the entrepreneur and shared values: creativity, love of a job well done, a passion for research, commitment to positive change, sincere attention to environmental and social sustainability. The ideal culture of the new “industrial humanism”.

The aim is to protect and above all make good use of the memory of Italians’ ability to “produce beautiful objects that the world appreciates”, to adopt the paradigm of the great European economic historian Carlo Maria Cipolla. Because throughout our history, we have been able to unite beauty, quality, size and efficiency: doing business means being able to hold different cultural dimensions together, with the conviction that there is not a humanistic culture and a scientific one, but there is knowledge per se and transformative knowledge, both representing the knowledge of business.

Indeed, the businesses, factories and financial, commercial and cultural service companies whose museums and archives are part of Museimpresa are both physical and mental locations where past and future meet and where corporate culture is, as we have said, a fundamental asset for competitiveness. In summary, the corporate archive and museum both represent fertile memory and are therefore key to how we act today, tools for the “future of memory”.

The heritage that they contain comprises objects, documents, photographs, films, advertising sketches, technical drawings, but also balance sheets and contracts and work papers that tell the story of both the technical and above all the human dimension of work, with the various records of relationships and conflicts, the very evolution of the ties between entrepreneurs, executives, technicians, managers and workers. It represents genuine social capital that defines the history and identity of every company, the moving portrait of an extraordinary humanity, from a shared perspective of circular and civil economy.

It’s social capital to grow, and to know, including through robust dialogue at the institutional level. The Lombardy regional bill is a good, positive example of this.

Meanwhile, new initiatives mature. One of these is the collaboration between Museimpresa and Google Arts and Culture (announced today in Milan), to include a collection of more than 2,000 images and videos of many members in the Google catalogues. Google is a leader in the most sophisticated digital technologies, and this therefore enhances the quality tools, which can be accessed by all, anywhere, free of charge, available to those who see tourism as a system of cultural and environmental values and appreciate historical knowledge in its broadest sense.

Museimpresa maintains that “the partnership represents a further means of making corporate culture accessible to all, anywhere in the world, at any time and on any device, while simultaneously allowing it to be preserved for future generations.” It’s a helpful contribution to a corporate culture which is also essential to validate sustainable, environmental and social development projects, which Italy needs in order to maintain a leading role.

A law to promote corporate museums and historical archives, support their activity and encourage companies to create new ones. This is what the Regional Council of Lombardy is discussing; the Productive Activities Commission has already approved the bill and the Chamber will probably have to debate it by the end of November. Recognition rules and financial resources are envisaged for museums of Historic Brands and businesses in collaboration with foundations, schools, local institutions and associations. “The story of modern and contemporary Lombardy is above all a story of industry and progress, in the transition from a society of farming and craftsmanship to a society based on enterprise. A process that has had profound consequences, with changes to society, economy and landscape that we can now document,” says Silvia Scurati, regional councillor (Lega) and rapporteur for the bill. Museums and historical business archives are essential tools in this. There are 64 in Lombardy, 40% of the national figure, and of the 140 members and institutional supporters of Museimpresa, 48 are from Lombardy.

The Lombardy regional law, if approved, could represent a good reference model for other Regional Councils as well, in areas with a wealth of companies, industrial activities and economically significant services. It could also finally encourage positive national legislation. As Museimpresa has been urging for some time now, insisting, for example, on the extension of the Art Bonus to private investments as well, on tax advantages, that is, for those who open and manage corporate museums and historical archives, safeguarding the memory and values of Italian know-how, which – ironically – deserves to be made better known, the construction of a new narrative of entrepreneurship capable of building economic value by leveraging social, cultural and environmental values.

It represents an important boost for the competitiveness of our companies, for their international success, without falling into the traps of sovereignism and protectionism, in times when the strength of a brand is also rooted in what’s known as the ‘stakeholder economy’ (attention to the values and interests of employees, suppliers, consumers and local reference communities). It is also supported by ongoing dialogue between Museimpresa and the Italian Historical Brands Association.

Museimpresa, established more than 20 years ago through the initiative of Assolombarda and Confindustria, brings together large companies (Leonardo, Ferrovie dello Stato, Poste, Assicurazioni Generali, Unipol, Banca Intesa, Pirelli, Dalmine, Bracco, Campari, Fiera Milano, etc.) but also successful medium-sized companies (the “pocket multinationals” operating on global markets and the “big names” of design) and small, dynamic businesses all over the country.

Underpinning the Association’s commitment is the now well-established conviction that companies are communities of people, connected by the innovative project of the entrepreneur and shared values: creativity, love of a job well done, a passion for research, commitment to positive change, sincere attention to environmental and social sustainability. The ideal culture of the new “industrial humanism”.

The aim is to protect and above all make good use of the memory of Italians’ ability to “produce beautiful objects that the world appreciates”, to adopt the paradigm of the great European economic historian Carlo Maria Cipolla. Because throughout our history, we have been able to unite beauty, quality, size and efficiency: doing business means being able to hold different cultural dimensions together, with the conviction that there is not a humanistic culture and a scientific one, but there is knowledge per se and transformative knowledge, both representing the knowledge of business.

Indeed, the businesses, factories and financial, commercial and cultural service companies whose museums and archives are part of Museimpresa are both physical and mental locations where past and future meet and where corporate culture is, as we have said, a fundamental asset for competitiveness. In summary, the corporate archive and museum both represent fertile memory and are therefore key to how we act today, tools for the “future of memory”.

The heritage that they contain comprises objects, documents, photographs, films, advertising sketches, technical drawings, but also balance sheets and contracts and work papers that tell the story of both the technical and above all the human dimension of work, with the various records of relationships and conflicts, the very evolution of the ties between entrepreneurs, executives, technicians, managers and workers. It represents genuine social capital that defines the history and identity of every company, the moving portrait of an extraordinary humanity, from a shared perspective of circular and civil economy.

It’s social capital to grow, and to know, including through robust dialogue at the institutional level. The Lombardy regional bill is a good, positive example of this.

Meanwhile, new initiatives mature. One of these is the collaboration between Museimpresa and Google Arts and Culture (announced today in Milan), to include a collection of more than 2,000 images and videos of many members in the Google catalogues. Google is a leader in the most sophisticated digital technologies, and this therefore enhances the quality tools, which can be accessed by all, anywhere, free of charge, available to those who see tourism as a system of cultural and environmental values and appreciate historical knowledge in its broadest sense.

Museimpresa maintains that “the partnership represents a further means of making corporate culture accessible to all, anywhere in the world, at any time and on any device, while simultaneously allowing it to be preserved for future generations.” It’s a helpful contribution to a corporate culture which is also essential to validate sustainable, environmental and social development projects, which Italy needs in order to maintain a leading role.

A history of labour – to better understand ourselves

A book narrates a significant period in Italian history, from Unity to today

  

Corporate culture and labour culture – an all-comprehensive production culture. All things considered, entrepreneurship and labour always were, and continue to be, two sides of the same coin. The vision of a productive future and the ability to attain it, a search for wealth and productivity: goals that can be achieved through a level of commitment that cannot be merely attributed to single individuals. And more – enterprises as spaces for continuous (and often heated) dialogue and debate. All concepts that may engender a brand-new awareness about the nature of production, and history is always the best starting point to better understand the present. This is why reading the recently published Storia del lavoro nell’Italia contemporanea (History of labour in contemporary Italy), by Stefano Gallo (leading researcher at the National Research Council of Italy and professor of history of immigration) and Fabrizio Loreto (professor of history of labour), proves very valuable.

The book’s premise is simple and blends entrepreneurship and labour with the social evolution of Italy: if Italy is a republic founded on labour, it then becomes necessary to retrace the evolution of labour over more than 150 years of Italian history, including the pre-republican period, in order to fully comprehend the spirit of this country and its evolution.

The book describes the progressive contraction of the agricultural sector, industrialisation and then deindustrialisation processes, and the advent of an outsourced society: three stages considered as great economic eras in the history of the country. It provides an account where the different actors taking the stage at different times are given a “voice”: popular associationism, syndicalism and politics, the conflicts between companies and labour and industrial relationships, the development of labour rights and the welfare state, as well as the particularities of women’s labour.

Thus, over a little more than 400 very readable pages, readers are given an analytical account of labour during the first post-unification Italy up to the early decades of the 20th century and the Great War, and from fascist Italy to World War II, the difficulties that affected the post-war period and the financial boom, concluding with an in-depth exploration of the vicissitudes that marked the last 30 years of Italian history.

Gallo and Loreto’s narrative highlights the political, economic, social and cultural history of a country whose development was uneasy and erratic, amidst rural areas and factories, worksites and offices, commerce and transport, large Fordist companies and small and medium enterprises, public and private labour. A compelling book to be read and re-read.

Storia del lavoro nell’Italia contemporanea (History of labour in contemporary Italy)

Stefano Gallo, Fabrizio Loreto

Il Mulino, 2023

A book narrates a significant period in Italian history, from Unity to today

  

Corporate culture and labour culture – an all-comprehensive production culture. All things considered, entrepreneurship and labour always were, and continue to be, two sides of the same coin. The vision of a productive future and the ability to attain it, a search for wealth and productivity: goals that can be achieved through a level of commitment that cannot be merely attributed to single individuals. And more – enterprises as spaces for continuous (and often heated) dialogue and debate. All concepts that may engender a brand-new awareness about the nature of production, and history is always the best starting point to better understand the present. This is why reading the recently published Storia del lavoro nell’Italia contemporanea (History of labour in contemporary Italy), by Stefano Gallo (leading researcher at the National Research Council of Italy and professor of history of immigration) and Fabrizio Loreto (professor of history of labour), proves very valuable.

The book’s premise is simple and blends entrepreneurship and labour with the social evolution of Italy: if Italy is a republic founded on labour, it then becomes necessary to retrace the evolution of labour over more than 150 years of Italian history, including the pre-republican period, in order to fully comprehend the spirit of this country and its evolution.

The book describes the progressive contraction of the agricultural sector, industrialisation and then deindustrialisation processes, and the advent of an outsourced society: three stages considered as great economic eras in the history of the country. It provides an account where the different actors taking the stage at different times are given a “voice”: popular associationism, syndicalism and politics, the conflicts between companies and labour and industrial relationships, the development of labour rights and the welfare state, as well as the particularities of women’s labour.

Thus, over a little more than 400 very readable pages, readers are given an analytical account of labour during the first post-unification Italy up to the early decades of the 20th century and the Great War, and from fascist Italy to World War II, the difficulties that affected the post-war period and the financial boom, concluding with an in-depth exploration of the vicissitudes that marked the last 30 years of Italian history.

Gallo and Loreto’s narrative highlights the political, economic, social and cultural history of a country whose development was uneasy and erratic, amidst rural areas and factories, worksites and offices, commerce and transport, large Fordist companies and small and medium enterprises, public and private labour. A compelling book to be read and re-read.

Storia del lavoro nell’Italia contemporanea (History of labour in contemporary Italy)

Stefano Gallo, Fabrizio Loreto

Il Mulino, 2023

Italy at work – past and present

A volume collects 23 essays on one of the most important ‘Made in Italy’ events in the 20th century

 

Italy’s exemplary production around the world, now just as in the past, and founded on ancient heritage. Something that left a mark and thus needs to be explored in depth, which is what the 23 research studies gathered in the recently published Italia al lavoro. Un lifestyle da esportazione (Italy at work. A lifestyle for export), curated by Paola Cordera and Chiara Faggella, attempt to do.

The essays are inspired by the travelling exhibition Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today (1950-1953), which in the second post-war period contributed to building the rhetorics and fortune of ‘Made in Italy’ manufacturing. Hence, as mentioned, 23 essays by researchers from 16 Italian and international institutions and universities, weave the fabric of a polyphonic and multidisciplinary narrative ranging from art and architectural history to decorative arts and design, and from industry to fashion and museology. Drawing from relevant literature and unpublished archival documentation, the essays illustrate the complex scenario surrounding the exhibition – its organisation, main actors, economic and political interests, the styles and cultural references that led to the success – and ensuing beneficial influence – of an initiative that wanted to show the world how Italy had recovered.

Thus, the collection starts with an analysis of the production efforts required to create “new products for an international clientèle”, goes on to illustrate the promotion and narrative activities of Italy’s production capacity, and then provides a number of in-depth portrayals of Italian artists, manufacturers and designers, without neglecting the role played by women in terms of creativity and manufacturing, and finally links the events of those years with the events of today.

For the curators, Italy at Work has been a genuine experiment in modernity, a workshop for projects and creations that transformed the Italian spirit into the concept of ‘Made in Italy’ quality that still permeates Italian manufacturing.

L’Italia al lavoro. Un lifestyle da esportazione (Italy at work. A lifestyle for export)

Paola Cordera, Chiara Faggella (curated by)

Bologna University Press, 2023

A volume collects 23 essays on one of the most important ‘Made in Italy’ events in the 20th century

 

Italy’s exemplary production around the world, now just as in the past, and founded on ancient heritage. Something that left a mark and thus needs to be explored in depth, which is what the 23 research studies gathered in the recently published Italia al lavoro. Un lifestyle da esportazione (Italy at work. A lifestyle for export), curated by Paola Cordera and Chiara Faggella, attempt to do.

The essays are inspired by the travelling exhibition Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today (1950-1953), which in the second post-war period contributed to building the rhetorics and fortune of ‘Made in Italy’ manufacturing. Hence, as mentioned, 23 essays by researchers from 16 Italian and international institutions and universities, weave the fabric of a polyphonic and multidisciplinary narrative ranging from art and architectural history to decorative arts and design, and from industry to fashion and museology. Drawing from relevant literature and unpublished archival documentation, the essays illustrate the complex scenario surrounding the exhibition – its organisation, main actors, economic and political interests, the styles and cultural references that led to the success – and ensuing beneficial influence – of an initiative that wanted to show the world how Italy had recovered.

Thus, the collection starts with an analysis of the production efforts required to create “new products for an international clientèle”, goes on to illustrate the promotion and narrative activities of Italy’s production capacity, and then provides a number of in-depth portrayals of Italian artists, manufacturers and designers, without neglecting the role played by women in terms of creativity and manufacturing, and finally links the events of those years with the events of today.

For the curators, Italy at Work has been a genuine experiment in modernity, a workshop for projects and creations that transformed the Italian spirit into the concept of ‘Made in Italy’ quality that still permeates Italian manufacturing.

L’Italia al lavoro. Un lifestyle da esportazione (Italy at work. A lifestyle for export)

Paola Cordera, Chiara Faggella (curated by)

Bologna University Press, 2023