Papers by Stefano Pelaggi
Tamkang Journal of International Affairs, 2019
The research aims to deepen the theoretical dimension of Soft Power and Nation Branding concepts ... more The research aims to deepen the theoretical dimension of Soft Power and Nation Branding concepts applied to the Taiwanese political and cultural context, with particular reference to the ability of these categories to communicate effectively in Europe. The different interpretations of the concepts of Nation Branding and Soft Power are analysed as well as the different implementations of cultural promotion from the democratic turn of the Country until the end of the second presidential term of Ma Jing-yeou. The communicational strategies adopted over the years by Taiwanese institutional actors and how they conformed to peculiar and specific identity instances are mainly linked to internal political dynamics. The shaping of Taiwanese national identity seemed to be the main target in most of the practices adopted in the last decades, a dynamic that occasionally fails while dealing with the syncretism of contemporary global communication. The extraordinary vivacity of the Taiwanese artists and the vibrant cultural scene of the country sometimes appears constrained within the strict limits imposed by the international community and Taiwan Soft Power fails to convey a message suited to the polysemy of post-modern society. The research hypothesis focuses on the impact of Taiwanese soft power in Europe, in particular on the inability of the structures dedicated to the Taiwanese cultural promotion in Europe to create a real impact. As Nye stressed “actions speak louder than words, and Public Diplomacy that appears to be mere window dressing for Hard Power projection is unlikely to succeed.” Taiwanese structure for promoting his image in the Western countries it is too focused on an approach incapable of adequately rendering the country's cultural vitality and the energy of the democratic process generated in Taiwan in the last few decades.
This article explores Taiwanese national identity, through an analytical excursus of the composit... more This article explores Taiwanese national identity, through an analytical excursus of the composite ethnic and linguistic mosaic of the island's inhabitants from 1500 to the present day. The relationship with the Chinese empire and the relative indifference of the Imperial court in Beijing are analysed in the first part. Subsequent Japanese colonization represented the first attempt to align the inhabitants of the island along a new paradigm of cultural uniformity, a hegemonic attempt of colonial nature that encouraged the Taiwanese to look at themselves, through the eyes of the colonizer, as a coherent entity. The ethnic fracture that emerged forcefully upon the arrival of the Kuomintang troops after World War II resulted in a further remoulding of Taiwanese identity. The process of redefining national identity became an essential tool in the electoral contest, in the aftermath of the democratization process of the country.
Orizzonte Cina, 2020
Un’isola al di là dei mari popolata da selvaggi, nell’interpretazione cinese, che solo alla fine ... more Un’isola al di là dei mari popolata da selvaggi, nell’interpretazione cinese, che solo alla fine del XVII secolo diventa una provincia minore della Cina. Una periferia del Regno di Mezzo che entra a far parte dell’Impero giapponese e diventa il primo laboratorio di colonizzazione guidato da un paese asiatico. Un territorio conteso che subisce un inedito processo di colonizzazione all’inverso mentre per un singolare compromesso diplomatico e semantico i confini geografici del paese vengono estesi oltre ogni immaginazione. Un modello, unico nella regione, di transizione pacifica alla democrazia e un processo di riconfigurazione dell’identità nazionale in continuo cambiamento. I molteplici significati storici sopra elencati che Taiwan ha rappresentato dall’inizio del XVII secolo, inizialmente come oggetto di appropriazione o controllo e in seguito come soggetto geopolitico a sé stante, all’interno dell’ambiguità dei collegamenti politici e culturali con la Cina hanno determinato uno scenario unico. Un contesto peculiare e dinamico che necessita di una breve ricognizione morfologica per fissare gli elementi “certi” prima di tentare una descrizione della dimensione liminale dell’identità taiwanese.
Studi Emigrazione, LVI,, 2019
Between 1870 and 1885 hundreds of Italians went to the Kingdom of
Burma to work in the country, t... more Between 1870 and 1885 hundreds of Italians went to the Kingdom of
Burma to work in the country, they were highly specialized technicians,
doctors, engineers, architects, chemists and officers of the Royal Army
on leave. Renzo Carmignani (1950), in tracing the history of the South
East Asian country, cites the story of Italian technicians at the service
of the King of Burma and defines it as «an interesting page of littleknown
country history, which will make us better understand at the same
time the appeal that Burma exercised on some of our compatriots».
But above all it is a very early example of qualified migration, carefully
planned first in Turin and then in Rome, to create the basis for a colonial
expansion of Italy in the Kingdom of Burma. In just twenty years the Italian
community became the most important among those foreign in Mandalay,
the main technical and scientific innovations were promoted and
carried out by Italian technicians. The Burmese court relied exclusively
on Italian doctors, the army was organized following the example of the
Italian Regio Esercito and the troops were trained by Italian officers. The
Italians took part personally in various military expeditions in the north
of the country and were also the protagonists of the most important action
of resistance to the British advance during the third Anglo-Burmese
war. The figure of the Italian consul Giovanni Andreino will be central to
Burmese history in the years immediately preceding the British invasion,
his role as informer in Calcutta and the alarming news of the Burmese
agreements he will reach London will determine the British decision to
end the existence of the Kingdom of Burma. The study tries to outline the
complex dynamics that determined the flow of Italians in Burma and to
reconstruct the actions and works carried out by technicians in the South
East Asian country thanks to unpublished sources.
Tamkang Journal of International Affairs, 2019
The research aims to deepen the theoretical dimension of Soft Power and Nation Branding concepts ... more The research aims to deepen the theoretical dimension of Soft Power and Nation Branding concepts applied to the Taiwanese political and cultural context, with particular reference to the ability of these categories to communicate effectively in Europe. The different interpretations of the concepts of Nation Branding and Soft Power are analysed as well as the different implementations of cultural promotion from the democratic turn of the Country until the end of the second presidential term of Ma Jing-yeou. The communicational strategies adopted over the years by Taiwanese institutional actors and how they conformed to peculiar and specific identity instances are mainly linked to internal political dynamics. The shaping of Taiwanese national identity seemed to be the main target in most of the practices adopted in the last decades, a dynamic that occasionally fails while dealing with the syncretism of contemporary global communication. The extraordinary vivacity of the Taiwanese artists and the vibrant cultural scene of the country sometimes appears constrained within the strict limits imposed by the international community and Taiwan Soft Power fails to convey a message suited to the polysemy of post-modern society. The research hypothesis focuses on the impact of Taiwanese soft power in Europe, in particular on the inability of the structures dedicated to the Taiwanese cultural promotion in Europe to create a real impact. As Nye stressed “actions speak louder than words, and Public Diplomacy that appears to be mere window dressing for Hard Power projection is unlikely to succeed.” Taiwanese structure for promoting his image in the Western countries it is too focused on an approach incapable of adequately rendering the country's cultural vitality and the energy of the democratic process generated in Taiwan in the last few decades.
Per la prima volta da quando viene redatta la National Security Strategy il documento presentato ... more Per la prima volta da quando viene redatta la National Security Strategy il documento presentato dall'Amministrazione Trump nel 2017 cita esplicitamente Taiwan. Si tratta di un elemento innovativo che conferma la forte attenzione che la presidenza Trump ha, sin dall'inizio del suo mandato, esplicitamente riservato all'alleato taiwanese e al ruolo strategico di Taiwan per la politica statunitense nella regione Indo-Pacifico. Washington ha sempre sostenuto Taipei, anche nei momenti in cui le relazioni sino americane erano riconducibili a un livello di conflittualità relativamente basso. La nuova politica assertiva di Xi Jinping e l'aperta competizione con la Cina enunciata dal presidente Trump disegnano un inedito ruolo per Taiwan.
Abstract. Taiwan's Strategic Role in the New US Policy for Indo-Pacific For the first time since the National Security Strategy has been released, the document presented by the Trump Administration in 2017 explicitly mentions Taiwan. This is an clear innovation that confirms the strong attention that the Presidency Trump has, from the beginning of its mandate, explicitly reserved for the Taiwanese ally and the strategic role of Taiwan for US policy in the Indo-Pacific region. Washington has always supported Taipei, even when the Sino-American relations were characterized by a low level of conflict. The new assertive policy of Xi Jinping and the open competition with China enunciated by President Trump drawn an unprecedented role for Taiwan.
schieramenti contrapposti, l'abbandono della Dottrina Monroe e il lento declino delle politiche l... more schieramenti contrapposti, l'abbandono della Dottrina Monroe e il lento declino delle politiche liberiste del Washington consensus sono alcuni degli eventi che hanno scandito la perdita di influenza degli Stati Uniti sul continente. Oltre ad una emancipazione culturale degli stati latinoamericani, l'allontanamento da Washington è anche il risultato della politica estera obamiana, tutta concentrata sul quadrante Asia-Pacifico. Il quinquennio della presidenza Obama è stato il periodo di maggiore assenza di Washington dall'America Latina, e anche l'aiuto verso determinati paesi amici, Cile e Colombia su tutti, è stato sostituito da un generico appoggio allo sviluppo dei processi democratici. Gli Stati Uniti danno l'idea di aver deliberatamente perso la loro influenza sull'area anche se tuttora restano l'unico soggetto in grado di intervenire militarmente, in tempi brevi, nel quadrante latinoamericano.
La Spedizione Borsari in Terra del Fuoco. L'emigrazione e le tentazioni di ispirazione coloniale ... more La Spedizione Borsari in Terra del Fuoco. L'emigrazione e le tentazioni di ispirazione coloniale del dopoguerra. Introduzione L'industriale bolognese Carlo Borsari tra il 1948 e il 1949 organizzò una spedizione, a seguito di un accordo con il Ministero della Marina argentino e trasferì a Ushuaia nella Terra del Fuoco argentina 1070 persone, perlopiù emiliani e friulani. La spedizione Borsari rappresenta un caso emblematico per i flussi migratori italiani, molte dimensioni diverse confluiscono nel progetto: dalla voglia di fuga da una condizione economica difficile per la maggior parte dei partecipanti alla necessità di sottrarsi alle possibili ritorsioni legate all'adesione al fascismo per una piccola minoranza fino alle esigenze dell'Argentina di Perón. La spedizione Borsari rappresenta anche un unicum dal punto di vista demografico, all'epoca la popolazione di Ushuaia ammontava ad appena 2000 persone, e
Garibaldi esule, rivoluzionario e emigrante in America Latina.
Dalla iniziativa dei suoi figli più energici e colti e dalla saggezza dei suoi governanti dipende... more Dalla iniziativa dei suoi figli più energici e colti e dalla saggezza dei suoi governanti dipende se nel secolo ventesimo la nostra patria sarà un piccolo paese, sperduto in un angolo del Mediterraneo, oppure un grande paese espandente la sua civiltà e la sua lingua su due continenti".
Sin dal XVI secolo un ristretto numero di italiani si trasferirono in Russia, presso le corti di ... more Sin dal XVI secolo un ristretto numero di italiani si trasferirono in Russia, presso le corti di Mosca e Pietroburgo. Solo intorno al 1875 si può riscontrare l'inizio di un vero e proprio fenomeno migratorio, prima di questi anni gli avventurieri, i mercanti e gli artisti che arrivano in Russia sono gli epigoni degli italiani di ventura e della emigrazione d'élite di stampo levantino.
schieramenti contrapposti, l'abbandono della Dottrina Monroe e il lento declino delle politiche l... more schieramenti contrapposti, l'abbandono della Dottrina Monroe e il lento declino delle politiche liberiste del Washington consensus sono alcuni degli eventi che hanno scandito la perdita di influenza degli Stati Uniti sul continente. Oltre ad una emancipazione culturale degli stati latinoamericani, l'allontanamento da Washington è anche il risultato della politica estera obamiana, tutta concentrata sul quadrante Asia-Pacifico. Il quinquennio della presidenza Obama è stato il periodo di maggiore assenza di Washington dall'America Latina, e anche l'aiuto verso determinati paesi amici, Cile e Colombia su tutti, è stato sostituito da un generico appoggio allo sviluppo dei processi democratici. Gli Stati Uniti danno l'idea di aver deliberatamente perso la loro influenza sull'area anche se tuttora restano l'unico soggetto in grado di intervenire militarmente, in tempi brevi, nel quadrante latinoamericano.
Books by Stefano Pelaggi
Il colonialismo popolare. L'emigrazione e la tentazione espansionistica italiana in America latina., 2015
Il volume è incentrato sulla ricerca delle molteplici influenze che contribuirono a creare il mit... more Il volume è incentrato sulla ricerca delle molteplici influenze che contribuirono a creare il mito del “colonialismo popolare”, un modello politico e culturale che riuscì a catturare l’immaginario collettivo di molti italiani e costituì un grande incentivo nella scelta dell’emigrazione transoceanica verso America latina. L’analisi e la genesi storica dell’idea di un espansionismo politico e commerciale nella regione attraverso i flussi migratori hanno costituito i prodromi delle successive spinte coloniali italiane in terra africana. La politica del Regno d’Italia, diretta a costruire e mantenere un continuo rapporto con le comunità oltreoceano, è strettamente collegata alla volontà di sfruttare le stesse in un disegno di espansionismo da attuare tramite un processo di nazionalizzazione culturale ed economico dei paesi dell’America latina. Gli eventi ricostruiti nel volume rappresentano diverse interpretazioni del colonialismo popolare e prassi distinte della Marina militare nella tutela delle comunità italiane all’estero. Alcuni episodi si ascrivono alla volontà del Regno d’Italia di conquistare uno spazio tra le potenze internazionali mentre la difesa degli interessi degli emigranti resta una semplice modalità per alimentare le velleità italiane in politica estera. In altri casi le azioni della Regia Marina si rifanno alle spinte espansionistiche dell’epoca, che interpretano i protagonisti dei flussi migratori come gli epigoni dei mercanti rinascimentali. Il quadro ideologico del colonialismo popolare è illustrato da un’analisi dell’azione della Società Geografica Italiana e dell’industria marittima genovese all’interno del dibattito politico e culturale dell’epoca.
The book focus on the research of many the influences that helped in creating the myth of “popular colonialism”, a model that was able to capture the collective imagination of many Italians and formed a great incentive in choosing transoceanic emigration in Latin America. The analysis and the historical genesis of the idea of a political and commercial expansionism in Latin America were among the starting point of the study. The policy of the Kingdom of Italy, aimed in building and maintaining a continuous relationship with the overseas communities, is closely linked to the desire to develop an expansion process implemented through a process of nationalization of the Italian communities abroad. The events reconstructed in the book represent different interpretations of “popular colonialism” and distinct modes of the use of the Navy in the protection of the Italian communities abroad. Some episodes are attributed to the will of the Kingdom of Italy to conquer a space amongst the others international powers while defending the interests of migrants remains a simple way to feed the ambitions in Italian foreign policy. In other cases, the actions of the Royal Navy were following the expansionist impulses of the time. The ideological framework of “popular colonialism” is illustrated by an analysis of the action of the Italian Geographical Society and the Genoese shipping industry.
Conferences & Events Organisation by Stefano Pelaggi
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Papers by Stefano Pelaggi
Burma to work in the country, they were highly specialized technicians,
doctors, engineers, architects, chemists and officers of the Royal Army
on leave. Renzo Carmignani (1950), in tracing the history of the South
East Asian country, cites the story of Italian technicians at the service
of the King of Burma and defines it as «an interesting page of littleknown
country history, which will make us better understand at the same
time the appeal that Burma exercised on some of our compatriots».
But above all it is a very early example of qualified migration, carefully
planned first in Turin and then in Rome, to create the basis for a colonial
expansion of Italy in the Kingdom of Burma. In just twenty years the Italian
community became the most important among those foreign in Mandalay,
the main technical and scientific innovations were promoted and
carried out by Italian technicians. The Burmese court relied exclusively
on Italian doctors, the army was organized following the example of the
Italian Regio Esercito and the troops were trained by Italian officers. The
Italians took part personally in various military expeditions in the north
of the country and were also the protagonists of the most important action
of resistance to the British advance during the third Anglo-Burmese
war. The figure of the Italian consul Giovanni Andreino will be central to
Burmese history in the years immediately preceding the British invasion,
his role as informer in Calcutta and the alarming news of the Burmese
agreements he will reach London will determine the British decision to
end the existence of the Kingdom of Burma. The study tries to outline the
complex dynamics that determined the flow of Italians in Burma and to
reconstruct the actions and works carried out by technicians in the South
East Asian country thanks to unpublished sources.
Abstract. Taiwan's Strategic Role in the New US Policy for Indo-Pacific For the first time since the National Security Strategy has been released, the document presented by the Trump Administration in 2017 explicitly mentions Taiwan. This is an clear innovation that confirms the strong attention that the Presidency Trump has, from the beginning of its mandate, explicitly reserved for the Taiwanese ally and the strategic role of Taiwan for US policy in the Indo-Pacific region. Washington has always supported Taipei, even when the Sino-American relations were characterized by a low level of conflict. The new assertive policy of Xi Jinping and the open competition with China enunciated by President Trump drawn an unprecedented role for Taiwan.
Books by Stefano Pelaggi
The book focus on the research of many the influences that helped in creating the myth of “popular colonialism”, a model that was able to capture the collective imagination of many Italians and formed a great incentive in choosing transoceanic emigration in Latin America. The analysis and the historical genesis of the idea of a political and commercial expansionism in Latin America were among the starting point of the study. The policy of the Kingdom of Italy, aimed in building and maintaining a continuous relationship with the overseas communities, is closely linked to the desire to develop an expansion process implemented through a process of nationalization of the Italian communities abroad. The events reconstructed in the book represent different interpretations of “popular colonialism” and distinct modes of the use of the Navy in the protection of the Italian communities abroad. Some episodes are attributed to the will of the Kingdom of Italy to conquer a space amongst the others international powers while defending the interests of migrants remains a simple way to feed the ambitions in Italian foreign policy. In other cases, the actions of the Royal Navy were following the expansionist impulses of the time. The ideological framework of “popular colonialism” is illustrated by an analysis of the action of the Italian Geographical Society and the Genoese shipping industry.
Conferences & Events Organisation by Stefano Pelaggi
Burma to work in the country, they were highly specialized technicians,
doctors, engineers, architects, chemists and officers of the Royal Army
on leave. Renzo Carmignani (1950), in tracing the history of the South
East Asian country, cites the story of Italian technicians at the service
of the King of Burma and defines it as «an interesting page of littleknown
country history, which will make us better understand at the same
time the appeal that Burma exercised on some of our compatriots».
But above all it is a very early example of qualified migration, carefully
planned first in Turin and then in Rome, to create the basis for a colonial
expansion of Italy in the Kingdom of Burma. In just twenty years the Italian
community became the most important among those foreign in Mandalay,
the main technical and scientific innovations were promoted and
carried out by Italian technicians. The Burmese court relied exclusively
on Italian doctors, the army was organized following the example of the
Italian Regio Esercito and the troops were trained by Italian officers. The
Italians took part personally in various military expeditions in the north
of the country and were also the protagonists of the most important action
of resistance to the British advance during the third Anglo-Burmese
war. The figure of the Italian consul Giovanni Andreino will be central to
Burmese history in the years immediately preceding the British invasion,
his role as informer in Calcutta and the alarming news of the Burmese
agreements he will reach London will determine the British decision to
end the existence of the Kingdom of Burma. The study tries to outline the
complex dynamics that determined the flow of Italians in Burma and to
reconstruct the actions and works carried out by technicians in the South
East Asian country thanks to unpublished sources.
Abstract. Taiwan's Strategic Role in the New US Policy for Indo-Pacific For the first time since the National Security Strategy has been released, the document presented by the Trump Administration in 2017 explicitly mentions Taiwan. This is an clear innovation that confirms the strong attention that the Presidency Trump has, from the beginning of its mandate, explicitly reserved for the Taiwanese ally and the strategic role of Taiwan for US policy in the Indo-Pacific region. Washington has always supported Taipei, even when the Sino-American relations were characterized by a low level of conflict. The new assertive policy of Xi Jinping and the open competition with China enunciated by President Trump drawn an unprecedented role for Taiwan.
The book focus on the research of many the influences that helped in creating the myth of “popular colonialism”, a model that was able to capture the collective imagination of many Italians and formed a great incentive in choosing transoceanic emigration in Latin America. The analysis and the historical genesis of the idea of a political and commercial expansionism in Latin America were among the starting point of the study. The policy of the Kingdom of Italy, aimed in building and maintaining a continuous relationship with the overseas communities, is closely linked to the desire to develop an expansion process implemented through a process of nationalization of the Italian communities abroad. The events reconstructed in the book represent different interpretations of “popular colonialism” and distinct modes of the use of the Navy in the protection of the Italian communities abroad. Some episodes are attributed to the will of the Kingdom of Italy to conquer a space amongst the others international powers while defending the interests of migrants remains a simple way to feed the ambitions in Italian foreign policy. In other cases, the actions of the Royal Navy were following the expansionist impulses of the time. The ideological framework of “popular colonialism” is illustrated by an analysis of the action of the Italian Geographical Society and the Genoese shipping industry.