PRIN 2022 RIPRESa - Re-assessing Italian prehistorical studies from a transdisciplinary perspective

RIPRESa - Re-assessing Italian prehistorical studies from a transdisciplinary perspective.

This project aims at applying a transdisciplinary approach in the field of Prehistoric Studies, starting from a general historical
reassessment of the birth and first development of this discipline throughout the long 19th century (1880-1915 ca.). Prehistory is an
area of interest for different disciplines: archaeology, geology, natural sciences, physical and cultural anthropology as well as
museum studies. Furthermore, prehistory represents a domain of political disputes and a privileged entry point to study the
dynamics of sociability. More precisely, prehistoric studies were a contested field for social groups, who viewed prehistory as an
opportunity to develop their own political and ideological agendas. Among them one can find Jesuits, members of the patriot clergy,
the modernization-oriented bourgeoise, politicians involved in the process of Nation building, and so on.
Adopting a transdisciplinary approach will allow us to investigate the complex interplay between experts and laymen and to clarify
the way in which different ideological perspectives affected prehistoric research, the assemblage of museum collections, and the
circulation of knowledge.