Ca Foscari University of Venice

This project offers the first comprehensive study of pre-modern engagement with the relatively neglected yet highly problematic natural phenomenon of tides. It argues that the flow and ebb effect was an essential component of cosmological discussions in pre-modern Europe and attracted the attention of all major scholars whom we currently associate with the so-called Scientific Revolution. The competition amongst prominent thinkers involved in the study of astronomy and mathematics left its mark on a considerable number of works on tides, while the contesting solutions were believed to constitute a valid argument in favor of the respective cosmological theories. This also implies that the issue of determining the flow and ebb of water formed part of a larger discourse that went beyond strict mathematization of natural knowledge and reflected, on a more general level, a peculiar understanding of the cosmos and all it contains. Furthermore, the project makes an addition to a field of study that has been burgeoning in past years considering the current climate crisis. Several studies have recently devoted attention to pre-modern reflections on nature, especially with regard to various types of calamities. Despite not being considered a disaster because of their recurring and predictable character, tides were nonetheless seen as potentially devastating if not controlled and properly understood. Although inevitably put in relation with a discourse of the Flood, tidal accounts were largely devoid of metaphysical features, instead seeking out plausible mechanistic interpretations of the motion of water. At the same time, contrary to what has been suggested in scholarship, establishing the origin of tides was never regarded as a mere physico-mathematical exercise, but generally presented a matter of environmental concern. Thus, this project provides a synthetic account of pre-modern discourses of tides in their cosmological and environmental dimensions.

This interdisciplinary project will contribute to the study of both Mediterranean magic and Jewish–Christian relations during late antiquity (III–VII CE) by providing a comparative analysis of the Jewish and Christian magical texts and objects (e.g., amulets and incantation bowls) that is informed by an innovative, synthetic interpretative framework. This project will investigate the contacts between Jewish and Christian practitioners as well as the dynamics of religious assimilation, cooperation, and differentiation in the everyday lives of ancient Jews and Christians. Although scholarly study of the early Jewish and Christian practices, rituals, and texts deemed “magical” has blossomed over the past few decades, this research has tended to be divided along disciplinary lines, with historians of Judaism studying Jewish magic and historians of Christianity studying Christian magic. Independent from this line of inquiry there is a long history of scholarship devoted to early Jewish–Christian relations which has detailed the diverse ways Jews and Christians interacted in the ancient world. However, the study of early Jewish–Christian relations has not taken into serious consideration the “magical” evidence. In short, despite these respective lines of scholarship within and across early Jewish and Christian studies, there has not yet been a sustained analysis of early Jewish and Christian magical traditions in comparison and in contact. An interdisciplinary team (PI, 1 Postdoc, and 2 PhD students) will address this scholarly gap by examining local and global features of the magical artefacts – and the literary traditions about magic – from late-antique Jewish and Christian communities. In particular, this group will focus on the similarities, differences, and contacts between these traditions in four central areas of their magical practices: biblical texts and traditions; sacred names and titles; the word-image-material relation; and references to illicit rituals.

The proposed research aims to fill a niche in the weather/climate/environment information tailored to the usual tourist interests, in the same time reaching beyond the conventional exploitation paths of Earth Observation data. The proposal addresses several challenges identified by EU policy in tourism - economic competitiveness, technological challenges, markets and competition – and focuses on the development of innovative environmental products for the tourism sector, including a framework for their free/commercial delivery. The specific research objectives, each leading to a novel result, are as follows: (1) quantify user interests related to environmental features for 4 destination types (novelty: basis for development of a new index for rural areas); (2) select and shape relevant climate and environmental information based on site-, season- and leisure activity specifics (novelty: fine-tuned, individualized information); (3) translate EO data into friendlyto- use information (novelty: EO products adapted for tourism); (4) deliver it to the user in a compact and timely manner (novelty: user-fitted communication form). The research work toward these objectives will involve literature reviews, questionnaires, processing climate data into specific tourism and bio-meteorological indices, processing and ‘packing’ of satellite products employing a user-oriented formulation, as well as a strong component on stakeholders involvement. At career level, the work will allow to build a unique scientific expertise comprising interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral research capabilities and transferable aptitudes, to be further exploited through existing and new collaboration projects and networks. The scientific results will lead to development of innovative downstream integrated information addressing tourism actors, new directions for innovative applications of satellite-based information in the day-to-day life, knowledge conversion into products and services.

This two-year research project aims to analyse the simultaneous diffusion of multiple pieces of information on (social) networks; how messages may interact, how rumours diffuse in the presence of truthful information and verification, and how network structure interacts with the virality of information. Misinformation can have severe consequences, such as the debunked myth of a link between vaccinations and autism or AIDS denialism. Political examples also abound. The rise in communication through online networks is often quoted as contributing to an increased spread of rumours and misinformation. Yet, in truth the state of the art has little to say about how alternative pieces of information interact on networks, and even less why rumours might be propagated without prior verification. This project aims to build rigorous economic models which can shed light on the processes and decisions involved, thus addressing the tangible threat that the spread of misinformation poses to society. I am an experienced researcher and have worked for various years in the area of information diffusion on networks, providing me with excellent insights and methodological tools to work on this project under the supervision of Professor Sergio Currarini, a leading expert in network theory. My stay at Ca’Foscari University of Venice will allow me to establish new (international) collaborations and additional training, particularly regarding interdisciplinary tools to bring to the economic study of (mis)information diffusion. Together the training, network, and publications inherent in the development of this project will have an extremely positive impact on my career, including increased possibilities to apply for future funding calls by the EU. By forming the basis of a long-run research agenda focusing on online information diffusion the project will contribute to the EU’s Digital Market Strategy and to its international reputation as a world leading research destination.

In the last two decades, in the wake of the renewed interest in early modern diplomacy and shifting toward interdisciplinary and transcultural approaches, the interactions between Europe and the Islamic Middle East have received considerable attention. Scholars are increasingly emphasizing interconnected and shared history of Europe and the Middle East. The nature of these connections can be traced through the comprehensive examination of early modern cross-cultural encounters between the Islamic Middle East (Ottomans, Safavids) and Europe (Venetians). While the history of the diplomatic relations between the Safavid Empire and Venice has been relatively well studied, its cultural impact, especially the material dimension of diplomatic encounters has been largely neglected. Despite a "cultural turn" in the history of diplomacy and a growing interest in symbolic communication in diplomatic practices, there remains little scholarship on importance of ritual and ceremony in Safavid-Venetian diplomatic relations. No attempt has been made to study in a systematic way the cultural and political meanings of gifts, reciprocity in gift exchanges, connections between gifts and identities, institutional, ceremonial and economic aspects of material exchanges in Safavid-Venetian diplomatic encounters. The proposed research aims to explore a largely neglected subject – the significance of symbolic communication, ritual and ceremony in Safavid-Venetian diplomatic relations and a material dimension of the Safavid-Venetian diplomatic encounters, which is essential for a better understanding of cross-cultural interactions between two empires. The project will allow me to acquire new skills (codicological analysis of manuscripts, Latin and Italian palaeography) and improve my existing skills (archival research, interdisciplinary use of sources, project management).