The Politics of Art

Abstract: My presentation, "Antiquities Looting and Smuggling: Legal and Market-Based Solutions to Italy’s Ancient Problem", will focus on Italy's ancient history of antiquities looting and trafficking, the role of tombaroli and other figures in the looting and smuggling chain of command, the methods the Italian government has employed to crack down on the problem, and the lack of a consistent and reliable legal framework to punish offenders. I present alternative remedies Italy can take, especially from a markets perspective, with the aim of stemming the source. As of now, the Italian government has chosen to approach looting with somewhat vague legal measures that focus on cultural property rights violations, rather than acknowledging the reasons that looting is an economically-appealing option for many. Drawing upon information found in legal journals, interviews, current news, and research into social network analysis, this presentation asks whether recognizing looting as a symptom of socioeconomic inequality can inform efforts to involve local communities in working to preserve their heritage. This can include providing financial incentives to hand over discoveries to the government, creating job opportunities around the physical protection of sites, and sharing some of the commercial wealth that antiquities' sales generate among the communities from which they are removed. I will use specific examples from data, case studies, and objects to provide a bigger picture about antiquities trafficking in Italy that encourages a reframing of the way we perceive this complex problem, with the aim of ultimately implementing more effective solutions.

Author Bio: Claudia Smithie is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is an Art History and Environmental Studies Major and Italian Studies minor. Her interest in Italy began in childhood, when she learned to speak Italian. She is drawn to Italian art and has found that the language has given her an intersectional lens through which to study it. She also enjoys reading in Italian, and at NYU, some of her favorite classes have been in translation. Her project reflects where she sees herself in the future, combining these disciplines through the preservation of cultural and ecological patrimony and researching historical documents.

Abstract: Philosopher Richard Rorty is one of many members of a semi-recent trend known as post-philosophy in which many of the historical ideas that have been extremely central to philosophical studies are being challenged. In his work Contingency, Irony and Solidarity, Rorty questions the idea of a truth that is “out there” and makes use of an incredible analogy of the philosopher and the poet. The philosopher uses language as a tool or a mold hoping to model the most accurate representation of the world. Whilst the poet, on the other hand, does not seek to find or describe any sort of absolute truth, but rather to create their own meaning. I’ve made an effort to seek out and delve into this analogy within Giorgio Vasta’s Time on my Hands. This idea may be present to some degree in many texts, however, it is especially significant in Time on my Hands where the three young revolutionary protagonists place such an emphasis on their relation to language and meaning. This task proves to be more difficult than it may seem because of the necessity of grappling with the apparent inconsistencies within the boys’ radical new ideology. However I don’t think this fact makes the topic worth shying away from—if anything, it merely brings to light the discussion surrounding (un)intentionality of actors and authors.

Author Bio: Andy Mager is a Junior in the College of Arts & Sciences studying Political Science and Italian Studies. He has a particular interest for all things political philosophy, and is currently on a quest to read every novel by Don Delillo. After he graduates he plans to get a Ph.D in political philosophy and enter the ever-lucrative field of applied humanities.

Abstract: In this exploration, I strive to answer the question of which director, Roberto Rossellini or Pier Paolo Pasolini, presents their audience with the more positive portrayal of women in their films Roma città aperta (1945) and Mamma Roma (1962), respectively. I analyze three different aspects of the films: the women’s importance to the plot, their sensuality in the film, and their divergence from the typical woman. I explore the history of women during their respective periods, the early 1940s and 1960s, as there is an important difference between the pre and post WWII years. This is clearly shown in the films, as Roma città aperta is shot during the war years while Mamma Roma is shot several years after. There are summaries at the beginning, outlining the films to give my audience an idea of the plot and characters, as well as information about how Anna Magnani, who played the main female protagonist in both films, was treated by each director in each film. The paper is written in Italian to capture the authenticity of the characters in each film.

Author Bio: Stella Magni is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She studies Italian in the forefront and NYU’s Italian department is what brought her to the school in the first place. Linguistics is her new found love and she seeks to study Cognitive Communicative Disorders at NYU and has a wide interest in language. She is the future president of NYU’s Italian Club and an active member of the Italian Conversation Club with Simon Lieber. She will be traveling to Bologna under a scholarship in May and, as a barista, is seeking the best cup of caffé.