Convergence and distance, presentation of the cultural project magazine of the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society

"Convergence and distance", the first Cultural Project of the USI Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, was inaugurated on 7 June 2021 with an itinerant seminar that animated the spaces of the East Campus. The project that started in 2021 will conclude on 20 December 2023 at 5:45 pm at Villa Ciani in Lugano, when a magazine that showcases the results of the six working groups' reflections will be presented.

The idea of realising a cultural project, as explained by the Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society Luca Massimiliano Visconti, responds first and foremost to the need for universities not to remain isolated within an ivory tower but, instead, engage in a dialogue with society and open up to the world. This approach, referred to as the third mandate (in addition to research and education), should not only concern technological competitiveness but also "socio-cultural competitiveness". The Cultural Project of the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society also aims to counter the excessive specialisation of knowledge by providing an environment for experimenting with interdisciplinary approaches. The six working groups have, in fact, formed spontaneously, involving different institutional and disciplinary affiliations. The Cultural Project is also an opportunity to conduct research without predefined expectations in terms of outputs, publications, or evaluations.

During the Cultural Project 2020-22, Professor Sara Greco coordinated a collaborative effort between members of the academic and intermediate bodies, the administration, and, in some cases, students and people from the community. The project aimed to explore the relationship between the convergence movement and the concept of being at a certain distance. Through this cooperative reflection, the group examined six dimensions of convergence and distance, generating new questions and viewpoints.

The booklet, edited by Professor Marco Maggi, head of the 2022-2024 Cultural Project, presents a summary of the main activities, an introductory text and some background reading for the six working groups of the 2020-22 Cultural Project.

• Media Convergence. Participants: Gabriele Balbi (facilitator), Eleonora Benecchi, Katharina Lobinger, Ely Lüthi, Theo Mäusli, Zhan Zhang.
• Convergence and distance between people and technologies. Participants: Colin Porlezza (facilitator), Eleonora Benecchi, Giulia Ferri, Nicoletta Fornara, Ely Lüthy, Katharina Lobinger, Léna Pellandini-Simányi, Laura Pranteddu, Peter Seele, Zhan Zhang.
• Contagion-contact: books and social practices. Participants: Linda Bisello (facilitator), Annamaria Astrologo, Andrea Balbo, Francesca Berlinzani, Silvia Cariati, Chiara Cauzzi, Vincenzo Matera, Simone Mollea, Matteo Motolese, Giulia Mugellini, Annick Paternoster.
• Myths in migration: intermediality of myth. Participants: Marco Maggi (2020-22 facilitator), Andrea Balbo, Francesca Berlinzani, Chiara Cauzzi, Alberta Fasano, Maddalena Giovannelli (2022 facilitator), Rainer Guldin, Sabrina Mazzali-Lurati, Guido Milanese, Simone Mollea, Chiara Pollaroli, Luca Trissino, Vega Tescari.
• Convergence and distance of persons and populations in migration. Participants: Jolanta Drzewiecka (facilitator), Giulia Mugellini, José Alfonso Lomelí Hernández, Luca M. Visconti.
• Convergence and distance of people and stories: storytelling, conflict, and restorative justice. Participants: Annamaria Astrologo (facilitator), Gloria Dagnino, Sara Greco, Chiara Jermini, Sabrina Mazzali-Lurati