Curriculum Vitae

Updated in December 2018

 

Current position:

Tenured associate professor of Cultural Sociology at the Department of Design at Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

In possession of the National Scientific Qualification to act as full professor in Italian Universities (‘Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale’).

 

Past positions:

2004-2008: Tenured associate professor of Media Studies at the Faculty of Design and Art at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy.

2002-2004:  Lecturer in Cultural Sociology at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy.

1999-2004: Research fellow in Sociology at Università Cattolica di Milano, Italy.

1987-1999: Awarded scholarships by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), the Rotary Foundation, and the Italian Ministry for Universities and Research.

 

Education:

PhD in Sociology and methodology of social research: Università Cattolica di Milano (Italy), 3 February 2003. PhD thesis: Costruzione sociale e pretesa di validità del sapere scientifico.

PhD in Philosophy: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg (Germany), 8 December 1995, awarded “magna cum laude”. PhD thesis: Edmund Husserls Phänomenologie der Imagination.

 

Teaching (last 10 years):

Undergraduate:

  • ‘Sociologia generale’, Politecnico di Milano, 6 UCTS.

Postgraduate:

  • ‘Sociologia dell’innovazione’, Politecnico di Milano, 6 UCTS.
  • ‘Communication for fashion’, Politecnico di Milano, 6 UCTS.

PhD courses:

  • ‘Tools for design research’, Politecnico di Milano, 2013/14 and 2014/15.
  • ‘Qualitative research methodologies in planning, design and engineering’, Politecnico di Milano, 2015/16.
  • ‘Research methodologies in design’, Politecnico di Milano, 2016/17.
  • ‘Sociology of research’, Politecnico di Milano, 2017/18.
  • The process of research, Politecnico di Milano, 2018/19.

PhD thesis supervision:

  • A. Piazza, Impacts of Novel Technologies on Urban and Domestic Life (director of supervision, currently ongoing).
  • A. Poshar, Activism Aesthetics Nowadays: Exchange of Value and Dialects among Visual Resistance and Consumption (director of supervision, PhD awarded).
  • S. Zanolla Mancini, Il progetto del dettaglio e dell’ornamento come potenziale mediatore del valore materiale e immateriale entro il sistema della moda italiano (second supervisor, PhD awarded).
  • D. Spallazzo, Apprendimento e socialità nella fruizione dei beni culturali: Tecnologie e nuovi linguaggi (third supervisor, PhD awarded).
  • D. Cantù, Ideas Sharing Lab: Community Centred Design for Multifunctional and Collaborative Food Services (third supervisor, PhD awarded).
  • M. Calza, Identità visiva e contratto di lettura: la moda nel giornalismo di rivista (external supervisor, PhD awarded).

PhD external examiner:

  • 16/03/2018 – Università di Milano-Bicocca, PhD programme in Applied Sociology and Methodology of Social Research.
  • 17/06/2011 – Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy, PhD programme in Sociology.
  • 23/04/2010 – Università di Padova, Italy, PhD programme in Sociology: Communicative and Intercultural Processes.

 

Academic management tasks at Politecnico di Milano:

  • Coordinator of the study unit META – Social Sciences and Humanities for Science and Technology.
  • Member of the Comitato Etico della Ricerca (Research Ethical Committee).
  • Member of the Collegio di Disciplina Docenti (Disciplinary Board).
  • Vice-Coordinator of the PhD programme in Design (2016-2018).
  • Member of the Commissione Paritetica of the School of Design (Joint Committee of professors and students) (2011-2017).

 

Current research:

  • ‘Fashion styling’. This is an investigation of the profession of fashion styling, focusing principally on the social characteristics of stylists in London and Milan, and their role in the production of fashion innovation. In-depth interviews and ethnographic observations are ongoing. In collaboration with Philip Clark (Middlesex University).
  • ‘The agency of objects’. This is a journal article I am currently completing using a group of in-depth interviews with owners of glass showcases, and drawing on the main theories of objects’ agency. In collaboration with MUFOCO – Museo di fotografia Contemporanea (Museum of Contemporary Photography), Cinisello Balsamo, Italy.
  • ‘Polifactory e l’esperienza di creazione di nuove community’ (‘Polifactory and the experience of founding new communities’). This is an interdisciplinary investigation of the Fab-Lab ‘Polifactory’ from its foundation in 2015 with the aim of identifying the forces, dynamics, and limits in the development of a sharing-economy subject. Principal investigator. In collaboration with a team of Università Cattolica di Milano, Italy.

 

Past direction or general management of research projects:

  • Principal investigator of the research project ‘L’innovazione della cultura materiale nelle società industriali avanzate e il ruolo sociale del designer’ (‘Innovation of material culture in advanced industrial societies and the social role of designers’), Libera Università di Bolzano, Italy, 2007-08. Funding: Libera Università di Bolzano.
  • Principal investigator of the research project ‘Campi di produzione del sapere a confronto: strutture, pratiche e attori nella fisica e nella filosofia’ (‘Comparison of two fields of knowledge production: Structures, practices and actors in Physics and Philosophy’), Libera Università di Bolzano and Università degli studi di Milano, 2006-08. Funding: Italian Ministery of Universities and Research (Projects of National Relevance regulation).
  • Principal investigator, with Regina Rochow, of the research project ‘Nuove dinamiche di sviluppo competitivo nella società della conoscenza: i progetti collaborativi’ (‘New dynamics of development in the knowledge society: Collaborative projects’), Sincrotrone di Trieste, Italy, 2006-08. Funding: Italian Ministery of Universities and Research (Basic Research Investments regulation).
  • Ethnographic research ‘Il ruolo della comunicazione nella costruzione sociale del sapere scientifico’ (‘The role of communication in the social construction of scientific knowledge’), Università Cattolica di Milano, 2002-03. Funding: Università Cattolica di Milano.
  • General management of the research project ‘Lo sviluppo locale in un’area montana’ (‘Local development in an Alpine area’), Università Cattolica di Milano, 2000-01, scientific direction by Michele Colasanto. Funding: Università Cattolica di Milano.
  • General management of the research project ‘Le professioni della moda’ (‘Fashion professions’), Università Cattolica di Milano, 1999-01, scientific direction by Laura Bovone. Funding: Italian Ministery of Universities and Research (Cofin regulation).
  • Principal investigator, with Rita Bichi, of the research project ‘Solidarietà e lavoro nei beni culturali’ (‘Solidarity and work in the field of cultural heritage’), Provincia di Milano, 1998-99. Funding: European Social Fund.

 

Scientific activities:

Journals:

  • International Journal of Fashion Studies: Founder and co-editor. Cf. http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/ view-Journal,id=230/.
  • Polis: On the editorial board 2012-2017.
  • Tecnoscienza: Italian Journal of Science and Technology Studies: On the international advisory board since 2009.
  • Studi di Sociologia: On the editorial board 2002-08.

Books:

  • Book series ‘Cultures, Fashion and Society’s Notebooks’ (Milano: Bruno Mondadori): on the scientific board since 2015.
  • Book series ‘Produrre cultura, creare comunicazione’ (Milano: FrancoAngeli): on the scientific board since 2014.
  • Book series ‘Moda, società e culture contemporanee’ (Milano: Bruno Mondadori): on the scientific board since 2013.
  • Enciclopedia di Filosofia (ed. Virgilio Melchiorre, 12 voll., Milano: Bompiani 2006): on the scientific board, and scientific director of the Sociology section.
  • Atlante della comunicazione (ed. Fausto Colombo, Milano: Hoepli 2005): on the scientific board, and scientific director (with Laura Bovone) of the section ‘Fashion’.

Scientific associations and research centres:

  • STS-Italia – The Italian Society of Science and Technology Studies: Founder (with D. Bennato, M. Bucchi, L. Guzzetti, A. Mongili, F. Neresini and G. Pellegrini) 25 June 2005. Vice President from January to August 2013. President from September 2013 to January 2016. Cf. http://www.stsitalia.org/.
  • Associazione Italiana di Sociologia (AIS): Secretary of the section Cultural Processes and Institutions (PIC) October 2005-October 2008.
  • Centro per lo studio della moda e della produzione culturale (ModaCult, Università Cattolica di Milano): Member of the scientific board since 2008.

Conference organization:

  • International conference ‘Ethics for Scientific and Technological Research’, Milan 19 October 2017: Scientific direction.
  • International conference ‘A Matter of Design: Making Society through Science and Technology’, Milan 12-14 June 2014: Scientific direction.
  • Conference ‘Produzione/riproduzione/distinzione: studiare il mondo sociale con (e dopo) Bourdieu’, Cagliari 6-7 June 2013: Member of the scientific board.
  • International conference ‘Fashion Tales’, Milan 7-9 June 2012: Member of the scientific board.
  • International conference ‘Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces’, Milan 22-25 June 2011: Member of the scientific board.
  • Symposium series ‘SocietAbile. Il progetto come processo sociale’, Milan 19 April-7 June 2011: Scientific direction with Stefano Maffei.
  • International conference ‘Global Fashion: Creative and Innovative Contexts’, Porto, 11-12 November 2010: Member of the scientific board.
  • International conference ‘Construir la cultura: tendencias, moda, consumo’, Pamplona, 21-22 October 2010: Member of the scientific board.
  • EASST international conference ‘Practising Science and Technology, Performing the Social’, Trento, 2-4 September 2010: Member of the scientific board.
  • Symposium ‘Le conseguenze sociali del design nello spazio pubblico’, Bolzano 6 June 2008: Member of the scientific board.
  • Conference ‘La creatività nelle professioni’, Bolzano 14 February 2007: Scientific direction.
  • Conference ‘Biografie di oggetti. Vita quotidiana e cultura materiale’, Bolzano 18 October 2007: Scientific direction.

 

Selected talks (last 10 years):

  1. ‘The Agency of Objects: The Case of Glass Showcases’, guest speaker, Royal College of Art/Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 4 February 2016.
  2. ‘Basics of a design research epistemology’, conference paper (with L. Rampino), international conference ‘The value of design research’, Paris, 22 April 2015.
  3. ‘Quando le pratiche s’irrigidiscono: il mistero della moda plus-size’, guest speaker, conference ‘Cibo Cultura Città’, Università degli studi di Milano, 16 April 2015.
  4. ‘Imagery Makers: Fashion Styling Practices in Milan’, keynote speech, international conference ‘Crafting the Look: Styling as a Creative Process’, Glasgow, 24 April 2014.
  5. ‘Internazionalizzazione multidirezionale’, guest speaker, conference ‘Ricerca sociologica e internazionalizzazione. Opportunità e sfide’, Università di Udine, 4 April 2014.
  6. ‘From communication to ethics’, guest speaker, international conference ‘The regulation of luxury: Morality, the state and the law’, Università di Bologna, 13 December 2013.
  7. ‘Enquiry into Fashion Styling’, guest speaker (with P. Clarke), London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, London 23 January 2013.
  8. ‘La comunità dei fisici come campo sociale’, keynote speech, conference ‘Il nucleare in Italia nel secondo dopoguerra’, Trieste, 15 November 2012.
  9. ‘Reinventing the Paris of the East: How to Fabricate a Fashion Capital’, conference paper (with P. Clarke), international conference ‘Cities Identity Know-How Fashion’, Institut français de la mode, Paris, 4 October 2012.
  10. ‘The Self-legitimization of Milanese Fashion Designers’, conference paper, international conference ‘Fashion Tales’, Università Cattolica di Milano, 7 June 2012.
  11. ‘The Biography of Objects’, guest speaker, METU (Middle East Technical University), Ankara, 11 May 2012.
  12. ‘Milanese Fashion Designers’, guest speaker, METU (Middle East Technical University), Ankara, 10 May 2012.
  13. ‘Fashion Cities and Fashion Design’, guest speaker, Solent University, Southampton, 2 March 2011.
  14. ‘Fashion Districts and Fashion Cities’, keynote speech, international conference ‘Global fashion: Creative and innovative contexts’, Oporto 11 November 2010.
  15. ‘Designing Communicating Objects’, guest speaker, Departamento de Comunicación Pública, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, 2 February 2010.
  16. ‘Conoscenza scientifica ed etica della responsabilità’, guest speaker, conference ‘Max Weber: la responsabilità del metodo nelle scienze sociali’, Università di Urbino, 6 April 2009.
  17. ‘Il posto della scienza al tramonto della modernità’, guest speaker, conference ‘Sociologie del contemporaneo’, Libera Università di Bolzano, Bressanone, 31 May 2008.

 

 

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