Partnership Studies Group

Partnership Studies Group

The research group

Starting from the anthropological and socio-cultural studies of Riane Eisler (www.centerforpartnership.org), the research group of the University of Udine, founded by Antonella Riem Natale, has proved over the years to be a focus of innovation in the international arena as an ‘inter/multi/disciplinary’ laboratory. Linked to numerous research projects, the PSG’s aim is to investigate the relationship between ‘dominant’ and ‘egalitarian’ models in linguistics, literature and pedagogy starting from textual phenomena of different natures.

The objective of investigating the relationship between ‘dominant’ and ‘egalitarian’ models starting from textual phenomena of different natures is based on the awareness that it is mainly in texts that every ideology sediments and re-produces itself in a more or less explicit manner. The text is therefore analysed not as a faithful mirror of reality, but above all as a privileged place in which to suggest and prefigure transformations of the status quo. To this end, a corpus of texts belonging to different genres (narrative, theatrical, poetic, journalistic, advertising, political, etc.) is selected and analysed in order to carefully examine the different relationships between gender (the ‘traditional’ hierarchy of male over female), discrimination (institutionalised social violence), social structures (hierarchical and authoritarian social organisations) and the semiotic codes that govern and reinforce them. Fundamental is the study of myths, archetypes and symbols as tools for creating and reinforcing a cultural paradigm.

Initially, the research focused on the study of the literature of the English ‘canon’ and ‘post-colonial’ (Australia, India and Canada), of applied linguistics and pedagogy until embracing in recent years other scientific disciplines through the contribution of new scholars in the field of intercultural studies, Francophone literatures and educational sciences. The results of the research are clearly recognisable through the numerous projects at a national and international level, the various publications produced in the international ALL studies series, the international online journals Le Simplegadi and Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies (IJPS), seminars and conferences.

The aims of the Group are:

  • to investigate partnership configurations in linguistic, literary, cultural and educational contexts;
  • to disseminate the publication of research by writers, scholars and critics;
  • to organize seminars, exchanges and conferences, encouraging an international perspective upon debates in partnership studies;
  • to develop collaborative research projects with other research centres, universities, schools and cultural institutions;
  • to promote partnership education principles at university, in schools, international institutions and research centres.

Follow the projects and the events of the Partnership Studies Group on the official website.