Italy | nccr – on the move

Asylum Interviews in Southern Italy: Narratives, Credibility and Consequences

Flora Di Donato — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:16:11 +0000

Interviews between asylum seekers and territorial commissioners are an essential part of the asylum application process in Italy and many other European countries. In most cases, decisions are based mainly on what applicants say during these interviews, rather than on documentary evidence. As a result, asylum authorities evaluate whether the

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Amoral Immobilism: Or, What I Learned From a Half-Year Sabbatical in Rome and Naples?

Gianni D’Amato — Wed, 14 May 2025 07:30:11 +0000

As Italy navigates a period of rising nationalism and the influence of a far-right government, a mid-20th-century concept has regained attention. Edward Banfield’s notion of “amoral familism”—a social pattern characterized by strong familial loyalty alongside limited trust in wider society—was originally used to interpret the persistent underdevelopment of a rural

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Magic Thinking: Past and Current

Gianni D’Amato — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 08:30:13 +0000

“La Grande Magia,” a Neapolitan postwar play, blurs the line between illusion and reality, highlighting how we often prefer to entertain comforting illusions instead of facing the hard truths. This theme feels vividly relevant today. As we observe with astonishment the current US-American political events, the parallels seem too close

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Blood of Naples

Gianni D’Amato — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 08:30:14 +0000

Arriving in Naples feels like diving into a whirlwind of life, history, and faith, all watched over by the silent, menacing presence of Mount Vesuvius. Streets paved in the historical center by the ancient Greeks now pulse with scooters and voices, each corner reveals layers of stories from centuries ago.

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History That Fades Away? The Long Farewell of Anti-Fascism as Civil Religion in Italy

Gianni D’Amato — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 09:06:32 +0000

Italy’s complex history, marked by a century-long fragmentation, a difficult unification, a liberal period followed by 20 years of fascist rule, as well as persisting political and cultural divides, makes it challenging to define a cohesive national identity. Italians historically often felt a stronger connection to their municipalities than to

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