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May 1, 2007
“UNCERTAINTY AND INSECURITY IN THE NEW AGE” IS FOCUS OF ITALO-AMERICAN CONFERENCE AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
—William Paterson University to Sign Academic Partnership Agreement with University of Pisa, Italy
Concerns about terrorism, economic stability, interethnic conflicts, and maintaining a national identity and culture in the face of global homogenization are among the topics that will be explored at the fifth Italo-American Conference to be held at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., on May 17 and 18 and at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute at Queens College, CUNY, on Saturday, May 19.
The conference, “Uncertainty and Insecurity in the New Age,” offers an opportunity for leading Italian and Italian American social scientists and young scholars from Italy and the United States to exchange ideas on the economic, educational and political impact of these global issues.
Arnold Speert, president of William Paterson, will sign a formal partnership agreement with the University of Pisa, Italy, on Friday, May 18, at the conference breakfast. The agreement will include a promise of student and faculty exchanges, joint-sponsored conferences and other academic ventures. In attendance will be Edward Weil, provost and senior vice president, William Paterson University, conference participants, and several Italian and Italian American officials, including Agostino Fragai, Councilman for Institutional Policies at the Regional Council of Tuscany, and Paolo Toschi, Vice Consul of Italy in Newark.
“William Paterson is playing a major role in encouraging international research and cooperation with Italy by hosting this conference with 20 scholars from Italy who will speak on topics of international concern,” says Vincent Parrillo, a professor of sociology at William Paterson, and the U.S. coordinator of the event. “It gives us a wonderful opportunity to develop a social network for future research collaborations.”
In addition to the conference, the visiting Italian delegation plans to attend an American Ballet Theatre performance in New York City, tour the Passaic Falls and Lambert Castle, and attend a jazz performance at the University.
The presentations of papers will be held in the Atrium Auditorium on the William Paterson campus. On Thursday, May 17, at 4 p.m., Vincent Parrillo will serve as moderator for session one, “Uncertainty and Insecurity,” which includes discussions on “The U.S. Response to Past and Present Immigrants” and “Possibility and Insecurity in the European Knowledge Society.”
On Friday, May 18, session two, “Work and Politics,” begins at 10 a.m. Mary Ann Re, executive director, New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Commission, will serve as moderator. “Employability and Social Inclusion: the European Perspective,” “The Vanishing Italian Expatriate Voter,” and “The Idea of Work in a Postmodern World” will be among the topics covered.
Session three, "Identity and Culture," will be held at 11:45 a.m. Susanna Tardi, professor of sociology at William Paterson, will be the moderator. Topics will include “Italian American Culture at Risk of Being Lost,” “Local Development, Milieu, and Identity in Southern Italy,” and “Italy/America: The Use of Cultural Heritage.”
Session four, “Migration and Cultural Retention,” begins at 3 p.m. Paul Magro, Marywood University, will serve as moderator. Topics will include “Globalization vs. Fragmented Cultural Identities” and “Perceptions of Immigration: an Historical Perspective.”
Session five, “Community and Isolation,” will begin at 4:45 p.m. Rocco Caporale, St. John’s University, will oversee the discussions. Topics will include “Acceptance or Rejection: The Uncertainty and Insecurity of Italian American Homosexuals” and “Multi-problematic Family in the Social Services in Italy.”
The conference will continue at the Calandra Italian American Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, New York City, on Saturday, May 19 for sessions six and seven. Topics include “Society and Social Capital” and “Activism and Power.”
The previous four Italo-American Conferences, three in Italy and one in the United States, have attracted leading scholars from both countries and resulted in the publication of a volume of essays from the conference presentations. The books have been distributed to all public and university libraries in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. For this conference, the Calandra Institute will publish a similar volume. The conference has received congratulatory letters from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Claudio Martini, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Parrillo, the United States organizer, is a Fulbright Scholar and the 2006 Eastern Sociological Society Distinguished Lecturer. He has been a keynote speaker at international conferences in a half-dozen European countries.
Mario A. Toscano, a professor of sociology and director of the department of social sciences at the University of Pisa, Italy, serves as the event coordinator from Italy.
Admission is $35 for Thursday, May 17; $50 for Friday, May 18; and $50 for Saturday, May, 19. Professionals seeking continuing education units pay an additional $25.
For more information on the event, visit the Conference Web site at http://www.wpunj.edu/icip/fiac.
The conference is sponsored by the William Paterson University Center for Continuing and Professional Education, The National Italian American Foundation, National Council of the Order of Sons of Italy in America, the National Organization of Italian American Women, and the New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Commission. For additional information about the conference, please contact the University’s Center for Continuing and Professional Education at 973-720-2354.
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www.wpunj.edu
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