Laureates Cohort 2

The Alps and the other European mountain ranges historically played and still play a crucial regulating role of the water fluxes, thanks to their capability of storing snow during cold seasons. Yet the present climate change, characterized by fastly increasing temperatures, is altering the mountain water cycle and reducing snow accumulation. At the same time, the abandonment of mountain areas rural activities exacerbates the hydrogeological hazard, whereas well managed slopes would let the soil to spontaneously act as natural water reservoir and mitigate the perturbations of the hydrological cycle. In this context, the proposed research will contribute to understand the evolution of water cycle in some Alpine basins, since the early 19^th Century, at the beginning of the recession of the little Ice Age. Since then social dynamics as urbanization and abandonment of mountain agriculture and silviculture in favor of valley and low land ones provoked loss of may slope maintenance activities, local afforestation and the loo of most of the agriculture and silviculture related nonmaterial culture. Many of these changes are well documented by military and cadastral maps, as well as by contemporary surveys. The researcher will interpret 19^th century maps and ancient agricultural techniques, in view of comparing the ancient and present landuse and management. Based on the maps, the researcher will perform the historical water balance and compare the contemporary one. The research therefore requires n interdisciplinary approach which mainly involves Hydrology and Geography, with elements of Climatology and Environmental History.

Supervisors

Giovanna Grossi (UNIBS)

Remus Cretan (UVT)

The public spaces of many European cities are haunted by the material and symbolic legacies of the dictatorships that marked the history of the continent in the 20th century. These legacies include monuments, memorials, urban planning or sites of repression. However, the political, social, and cultural transformations that European societies have undergone have prompted a critical reassessment of these dissonant legacies, sometimes leading to proposals for their modification. While reuse remains one of the most common strategies, approaches have also included destruction, relocation, re-signification, musealisation and practices of disremembering. This research aims to examine Spain's, and particularly Navarre's, challenging urban heritage from the Spanish Civil War and Franco's dictatorship to the present day. The study first investigates the material and imaginary construction of these legacies, their evolution, and their integration into the urban spaces in which they are located. It then explores the shifting meanings that different political and social actors have ascribed to them over time. Lastly, it analyses current debates surrounding these legacies and the alternatives proposed by various groups, ranging from political representatives to grassroots organisations. The study is built upon the analysis of extensive archival material and interviews, through which case studies are developed and compared with the history and practices of uncomfortable heritage management across Europe. The proposal is particularly pertinent at a time when these disputes have been revived in Spain. Debates and policymaking can benefit from a better interdisciplinary understanding of this heritage and of the different international approaches to its administration.

Supervisors

Daniel Oviedo Silva (UPNA)

Anna Mastromarino (UNITO)

Masonry arches, vaults and domes are among the oldest structural elements, used for centuries to construct both monumental sacred, civic and defensive buildings and “minor structures”, including common urban buildings and traditional rural houses. For centuries, arches and vaults have been the most common solutions for building floors and coverings. In addition to their structural elegance and technical complexity, these systems often feature precious finishings, particularly in more prestigious buildings, enhancing both their artistic and architectural significance. Masonry arches have also been widely employed in bridge construction, from the Roman era up to the 20th century, characterizing still today a significant portion of Europe's in-service road and railway bridges. The development of vault structures has resulted in many distinct construction typologies now part of Europe's architectural and structural heritage. These historical systems deserve deep investigation, preservation, and upgrading. The need to retrofit masonry structures is particularly urgent, as highlighted by recent European programs aimed at renovating building stock to improve energy efficiency and reduce structural vulnerabilities, especially to natural disasters like earthquakes. Given these considerations, this project aims to widen knowledge of the typical vault systems used across different European countries, focusing on both their artistic-architectural and structural aspects. The assessment of some significant case studies will allow to investigate the structural deficiencies leading to the proposal of innovative retrofitting technique able to mitigate the vulnerabilities. Complete guidelines will be developed to report a complete summary of the research investigation and provide practical procedure for structure rehabilitation and preservation.

Supervisors

Fausto  Minelli  (UNIBS)

Javier Ibañez Fernández (UNIZAR)

Long considered a sub-literature, a "bad genre", the detective novel seems to have gained its credibility on 21st century. Not only is it no longer regarded as a pulp novel, relegated to the newspaper kiosks, but it has conquered the institutional and cultural space of the city in the form, among other things, of the growing number of festivals devoted to it each year. Since the 1980s, there has been an unprecedented expansion of thriller festivals in France, Spain and Italy in particular, as part of the international movement to promote and circulate books. While major cities such as Barcelona, Lyon and Milan are organising their own events, the phenomenon seems to be spreading to medium-sized towns and even small cities across Europe. In Italy, for example, the most important crime fiction festivals are held in small provincial towns (Suzzara, Monticello Brianza, Pietrasanta). These festivals are often run by crime fiction writers, who then become cultural agents in their area, and enjoy remarkable support from local institutions. It will be interesting to analyse the phenomenon in all the countries of Europe's Romance languages in order to study the way in which this literature is currently undergoing a phenomenon of ontological promotion and how, in turn, the territories are seizing on the phenomenon to promote a form of literary tourism that is booming.

Supervisors

Emilie Guyard (UPPA)

Alessandro Perissinotto (UNITO)

Our research proposal aims for the recovery of the artistic heritage created by women in the European interwar period, a necessary work to be accomplished in order to increase Europe's artistic heritage and to broaden our knowledge of works of arte created by women.Although the period in which the research focuses has attracted the attention of specialists in the field of the arts, and many studies have been devoted to analysing the contributions made by creators of different profiles (visual artists, architects, poets, writers, playwrights, filmmakers, photographers, etc.) with their creations, it should be remembered that the vast majority of the protagonists of these works are men. The women present in them have usually been relegated to a secondary position, in their role as companions or muses, and almost never as authors.Nevertheless, and thanks to the efforts of some research, we know that an important group of women were creators, participating in the avant-garde movements, being pioneers in some cases of certain techniques or forms of expression, and having conceived works that form part of Europe's artistic and cultural heritage, and which must be recovered, studied and valued.For this reason, this research aims to investigate the artistic heritage created by women in inter-war Europe, with the intention of unravelling who they were and what their contribution was in the field of creation. Within this broad context, it is proposed to focus on the Spanish, Italian and French cases, with the aim of exploring not only the artistic styles they practised but also the relationships established between these territories in the field of training, collecting and the art market.

Supervisors

Concepción Lomba Serrano (UNIZAR)

Anna Ciotta (UNITO)

A large number of archaeological remains and even entire sites are still there to reveal. Being covered with ground, agricultural crops, forests or built-up areas, they are very difficult to detect based on purely historical data. With the latest technologies in the remote sensing domain, the multitude of sensors and the possibility to scan large area from various altitudes, there became a standard approach to search for buried archaeological remains. However, the locally-specific approaches may not work when applied in a different context, thus the necessity of designing new approaches that can work at a global scale. In this project we propose a hybrid vision between remote sensing and archaeology, which is aimed at developing non-invasive approaches based on remote sensing / EO data analysis for the purpose of supporting the detection and interpretation of buried archaeological remains. The hypothesis is that the water stress of agricultural crops can be a very good indicative of buried archaeological remains. By using a combined multisource, multiscale and multitemporal use of information through satellite data, together with an extensive use of drones with visible, multispectral and thermographic sensors, possibly terrestrial LiDAR technology for greater details, in order to cover large areas that allow comparison in different growing seasons. By the joint collaboration between a Romanian and Spanish research labs and universities, we aim at making steps towards the development of global solutions, which are independent of the specific location of the particular type of studied area or agricultural crops.

Supervisors

Mihai  Ivanovici  (UNITBV)

Jorge Ángas Pajas (UNIZAR)

National populism is on the rise across the globe . This form of nationalism tends to foster an exclusive notion of territorial identity and to circumscribe citizenship to abstract membership of the nation state. It fosters a negative sense of ‘placeism’ defined by Gillian Evans as ‘a fierce sense of territoriality and a social preoccupation with a hierarchy of born-and bred belonging [which] implie[s] a generalized suspicion of outsiders of all kinds’ . This sense of ‘placeism’ appears to be particularly present in marginal areas that have been described as ‘places that don’t matter’ who revolt against the status quo and embrace regressive nationalism . This project explores how a more positive sense of ‘placeism’ can be developed that embraces cosmopolitanism and diversity. Following Raymond Williams who argued that a progressive nationalism can be built from the ground up through an inclusive ‘politics of place’ , it focuses on how the revival of minority languages might foster a sense of empowerment and positive narratives of belonging. 

Supervisors

Emma Bell (USMB)

Filippo Barbera (UNITO)

 This doctoral research, "Transcending Polyphony," innovatively intersects musicology, performance arts, and cultural heritage studies by transcribing selected masses by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Claudio Monteverdi for solo piano. Situated within the CHORAL program's framework, this project not only contributes to the intangible cultural heritage and identity narratives but also significantly enhances the accessibility and dissemination of these historical works. The research entails an interdisciplinary exploration of Palestrina's and Monteverdi's compositions, involving field studies in Italian archives to understand their cultural and historical contexts deeply. This process aligns with the CHORAL program’s emphasis on engaging with local communities and heritage sites (historical libraries and archives) within the UNITA Alliance territories. The project aims to bridge the gap between historical choral traditions and contemporary solo performance, resonating with broader narratives of cultural identity, memory and religion. Further, by adapting these choral pieces for piano, the project advocates for innovative methods in music education and heritage management. The transcriptions will be made available to educational musical institutions across Europe, fostering an appreciation for these works among new generations of musicians and scholars. The use of digital tools in transcription and dissemination, including recordings and online platforms (all major streaming sites including but not limited to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and so on), aligns with CHORAL's focus on digitization and storytelling. The culmination of this project in a series of concerts and the publication of a doctoral thesis represents a comprehensive effort to enhance public engagement with cultural heritage. 

Supervisors

Petruta-Maria Coroiu (UNITBV)

Silvia Pireddu  (UNITO)

In France, the list of ESODs (Espèces Susceptibles d'Occasionner des Dégâts - species likely to cause damage) is set out in decrees that are regularly updated: because they are considered a threat to human health and safety, to the conservation of wild flora and fauna or to agricultural activities, hunting is encouraged.How did people in the past view animals such as weasels, rats and ravens, which are now considered “harmful animals”? The very idea that there are evil beasts whose destruction benefits man deserves to be questioned: does it not run counter to the medieval vision of nature and creatures as manifesting divine power through their diversity? What attitudes were advocated towards”harmfus animals”? The relevance of this category in the Middle Ages is questionable: were they the same species as today, and are any variations due to changes in the fauna and human ecosystem, or to changes in representation? Philological, linguistic and ecocritical tools will be used in order to investigate the human-nature relationship embodied by these animals. Literature is understood in the medieval sense, including narrative (tales, fables, novels) and poetic works, as well as scientific and technical texts such as encyclopaedias and treatises on hunting and agronomy.

Supervisors

Cécile Rochelois (UPPA)

Paola Cifarelli (UNITO)

This project, at the crossroads of several disciplines (anthropology; visual and digital arts; information and communication sciences; computer science), is based on the production of a research documentary in holographic or multi-screen form that interacts with an audience. This audiovisual and interactive document, which is the result of a shared creative approach to research questions concerning social communication, also serves as a pretext for questioning the unstable aesthetics of holographic communication and narrative forms. The authors, the documentary's protagonists, and the audience engage in public reception and communication modes. Finally, we need to scrutinize the approach from an epistemological and methodological standpoint, considering it a methodological advancement that addresses research challenges in the humanities and social sciences.The main research question concerns the body and digital tattoos in relation to individual and social identity 

Supervisors

Jacques Ibanez Bueno (USMB)

Renata Ferraz (UBI)