10.6092/issn.1973-9494/7944
application/pdf
1973-9494
7944
en
Vincenzo Barone
Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage
Discussed and greatly debated: the process of globalization in economics, science, culture
Text.Serial.Journal
https://conservation-science.unibo.it/
17
Editorial
2018-03-28
2018-03-26
2018-03-28
2019-09-06
15-23
CSCH
Vincenzo Barone
2017
10.6092/issn.1973-9494/7944
15
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
1973-9494
en
23
Discussed and greatly debated: the process of globalization in economics, science, culture
https://conservation-science.unibo.it/article/download/7944/7660
17
E    DITORIAL


Discussed and greatly debated: the process
of globalization in economics, science, culture

   Salvatore Lorusso and Vincenzo Barone




   Globalization has always existed …

   Globalization has always existed. The economic systems, techniques, and cultural
models we have seen emerge in one context, to multiply and spread throughout the
planet today, were likewise transmitted in the past. Greece, itself conquered (Grae-
cia capta), “conquered” the Romans with their wisdom in the arts and sciences. The
Greeks themselves had inherited this knowledge from the earlier Aegean civilizations
which, in turn, had drawn from the Egyptian, and Assyrian-Babylonian civilizations.
Rome, in turn, spread this heritage throughout Western Europe and the rest of the
subjugated world. Styles, images, and artifacts have always traveled in space and
time, to all latitudes, contaminating cultures. Globalization, as we know it today, is just
a repetition of processes that have always taken place on a wider and more acceler-
ated scale thanks to current means of transport and communication.




                                                                                                   CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
   What is peculiar to our age is not a phenomenon that is inherent in human nature,
that of sharing, but rather the fragmentation of knowledge, a sectoral vision which,
since the industrial revolution, has become the only way to think about reality. No one
doubts the advantages deriving from the division of labor, a modus operandi that from
the economic sphere has progressively entered the intellectual one, becoming a mo-
dus cogitandi. Today there would never be a Galen, the physician who was also “the
most important of the philosophers”. On the other hand, we have many Robert Kochs,
hyper-specialists involved in ever-narrower areas and competencies.
   But alongside the conquests (including the eradication of tuberculosis (to stay on
the subject of the previous example), hyper-specialization has led to just as many
aberrations. In the industrial ield, for example, until a few years ago, abnormal quanti-
ties of artifacts (in plastic, for example) were produced, that were of a precision, detail
and eficiency unknown in the past. But we forgot to consider the impact all this would
have on the environment around us. What can be done now? In the intellectual sphere,
a scientist who studies organic chemistry may not know much about computational
chemistry and know completely nothing of astrophysics; just as a contemporary art
scholar can relatively know about the archeology of Magna Graecia and have never
read of paleontology or psychology. Of course, no one doubts that mastering theo-
retical chemistry for the “organic” chemist or the archeology of Magna Graecia for the
contemporary art scholar would be a remarkable advantage, but the problem is that
the didactic system does not necessarily require it.


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                                             We have come to the end of the line as regards this way of thinking. The paradigm
                                         of individual hyper-specialization, which all together becomes collective, no longer co-
                                         incides with an improvement in everyone’s standard of living. Having a world popula-
                                         tion of seven and a half billion people and increasingly less need for large-scale labor,
                                         the most obvious results of work-related progress, is a paradox that no economist or
                                         sociologist has yet been able to solve.
                                             The truth is that complex problems such as these need to be addressed today
                                         using a “non-fragmented” mentality that takes into account many aspects, not least
                                         thinking in a temporal perspective that is not imminent. The world of knowledge, on a
                                         global scale and certainly in Italy, is no longer used to it. More and more polytechnics
                                         are instituted and fewer schools of thought. We continue to reward the specialist or
                                         the technician who climbs another step of the ladder that is leading us to the brink of
                                         ruin. No one focuses on the problem of forming minds capable of positioning the lad-
                                         der, everything is focused on the technical know-how to produce increasingly more
                                         durable pins.
                                             At the Scuola Normale we are trying to change course. The two soulmates, Humani-
                                         ties and Sciences, are trying to communicate more and discuss things together, be-
                                         lieving that the paradigms of knowledge of the one and the other are not incompatible
                                         and the interaction between the so-called hard sciences and the humanities can be
                                         systematic. It is impossible to foresee the future. Our generation grew up in the belief
                                         that expansion on other planets was the immediate future. None of us ever imagined
                                         that thirty or forty years later, the future would be a computer in the kitchen or in your
                                         pocket, connecting everything and everyone. Technological progress is blind. What
                                         should be done is to learn to steer it and direct it toward goals that suit the community,
                                         extending the concept of global to the vegetable and animal world as well. Universities
                                         should feel this change of perspective as inescapable and it includes the evaluation
                                         system. It is not only those who produce more that should be rewarded, but also those
                                         who are committed to producing differently. Italy, home to the world’s oldest university,
                                         can be the promoter of this paradigm shift and re-embrace the concept of global, or
                                         rather, universal knowledge.


                                            …and continues to be discussed

                                             The process of globalization has undoubtedly determined (but at the same time
                                         presents) aspects and consequences observed in the ield of economics, science and
S. Lorusso, V. Barone - Editorial




                                         culture that can be the subject for aseptic discussion, as well as being considered from
                                         a number of different standpoints.
                                             The virtuous aspects, in economic terms, that are fascinating due to the creativity
                                         they unleash, reveal themselves to be of an entirely international nature due to the
                                         contributions they are able to catalyze from around the world.
                                             In accordance with this creativity, globalization is, for society, “innovation” and “util-
                                         ity”, in other words, the satisfaction of needs and business, which not only go hand in
                                         hand but, if well planned and conducted, can generate opportunities for all.
                                             While the resulting message is both cosmopolitan and inclusive, present-day rheto-
                                         ric considers the two previous aspects and consequent results to be irreconcilable.
                                         This is the situation, in consideration of the fact that globalization, by cancelling hopes
                                         of growth and development, humanity and beauty, has replaced the dictatorship of


                                    16
algorithms, the sharing economy1, including the quantitative easing2 of the European
Central Bank, and lastly the amount of ‘big data’.
    However, it is worth highlighting the limits and reasons that prevent modernity be-
coming one with the community and show that globalization can also be - in certain
conditions - the result of a positive union for the whole of society.
    The reasons for this are basically due to not being able to “build systems” or not
being able to consider and evaluate the overall impact of globalization on people, on
their relationships within the community and on the environment in which they live.
This impliesμ eficient bureaucracy, non-punitive taxes, proactive inancial institutions,
a judicial system that works rapidly, a diplomatic network at the service of ‘made in
Italy’ with the possibility of large-order contracts deriving from hotels and museums,
e-commerce and other modern media platforms. The culture that a country expresses
is also an integral part of the nation’s economic-productive system, which includes in-
novative and scientiic aspects.
    How can the characteristics and peculiarities inherent in our country, and endemi-
cally and genetically in Italians, therefore, be ignored?
    There are, in fact, several signiicant and emblematic examples in which, draw-
ing inspiration from the presence of a cultural heritage that is unique in terms of both
quantity and prestige within a world context, as well as from the landscape and histori-
cal centers of our villages, the image of a permanent Renaissance offering universal
values may be proposed. This can be achieved through the work of entrepreneurs
and managers of public affairs who show their willingness and eficiency, express their
industriousness and social conscience and project hopes of economic recovery by
enhancing cultural and natural heritage and social well-being.
    For all this to continue and deploy its beneicial effects over time, at the moment posi-
tive results are observed, it is necessary to preserve and try to increase the competitive
advantage over other countries, without conceiving the “made in Italy” label as having
an edge on the competition. The business world, including culture, pushes ahead and




                                                                                                           CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
thanks to digital media, amongst other things, is continuously evolving by questioning
traditions and established positions. This refers in particular to the excellences that Italy
can boast of in Europe and throughout the world. It refers to traditions and identities that
ind expression and identify themselves in the various sectors of food and wine, design
and manufacturing, as well as in the ield of cultural and environmental heritage.
    It is especially in this ield that the vision of a globalized world needs to be under-
stood and realized for it to act positively in its protection, enhancement, prevention,
promotion and communication, using the technological innovations that are constantly
emerging. This stems from the fact that technology is evolving more rapidly than our
customary mental processes and that, to be competitive in the years to come, it is
necessary to renew cognitive paradigms.
    Some suggested guiding principles that may be adopted by both individuals and
institutions include: risk that must be replaced by safety, experimentation instead of



1 This is an economic model that refers to a set of exchanges and sharing of material goods,
services and knowledge, as an alternative to classic consumerism. It starts with the real needs of
consumers, able to cope with the challenges of the crisis and promote more conscious forms of
consumption, based on reuse instead of purchasing and sociality rather than property.
2 “Quantitative easing” is one of the ways in which the Central Bank creates currency and its entry
into the inancial and economic system through open market operations.

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                                         planning, design that not only focuses on the cultural object and / or artifact, but also
                                         on Its impact within the networks of individuals and institutions.
                                             In accordance with the above, as Giulio Giorello, a philosopher of science says,
                                         “knowledge has a rebel soul”, it should be emphasized that the advancement of knowl-
                                         edge introduces signiicant breaks with established beliefs in the production of goods
                                         and services, and particularly in science. Those who innovate are winners because the
                                         exception does not conirm the rule, it becomes a new rule.
                                             It should therefore be acknowledged that innovation, far from being soft and epi-
                                         sodic is, instead, convinced and permanent. It is the result of interconnections between
                                         scientiic research and technological applications, freeing itself from prejudices, resist-
                                         ing and standing up to unidirectional theory and evaluation criteria and consequently
                                         revisiting the certainties and habits of the past. This is how, it reafirms its profound
                                         extraneousness to the historically mainstream dogmatic approach which claims to plan
                                         scientiic development based on lesser known instances that are more progressive,
                                         but in a desired system are inevitably destined to become the priorities laid down in
                                         previous years.
                                             This “new” knowledge in science therefore has a rebellious soul that assumes dif-
                                         ferent tones and different evaluation criteria at a practical level.
                                             In this respect, it would be desirable, in relation to the cultural heritage that repre-
                                         sents an indisputable peculiarity for Italy with its 53 protected assets on UNESCO’s
                                         world heritage list, to exhibit, narrate and enhance them in a globalized spatial and
                                         temporal dimension, as is already the case, in some countries at an intercontinental
                                         level.
                                             A “global museum” is what is needed for today’s increasingly connected world. The
                                         museum offers a response to the change in public sentiment, in other words it has
                                         a national and global responsibility: a museum of the world for the world. Its central
                                         theme becomes a link between cultures, not only through exhibiting works of art, but
                                         also by showing the life of communities within the universe and therefore of cultures.
                                         It is not only a political project, it is also the response to a rapidly changing world. The
                                         museum must therefore play its part in illustrating the connection between cultures and
                                         our shared humanity and, in this way, contribute to narrating the interconnected history
                                         of the world. The objective is to continue to consolidate our place in the center of global
                                         culture by understanding and encouraging the understanding of changes in the world.
                                         In narrating the story of different objects, the museum will enable cultures and histori-
                                         cal eras to be compared. This implies a new narrative for collections with an emphasis
                                         on the interconnection of cultures.
S. Lorusso, V. Barone - Editorial




                                             However, the leap into cultures is also technological. Digital technology will play a
                                         much greater role in order to better understand the interests of visitors and to create
                                         guides and “made-to-measure” tours. Digital platforms allow enthusiasts in all corners
                                         of the globe to interact with museum collections, giving rise to social media cover-
                                         age. It is now possible to connect with galleries and museums anywhere in the world
                                         through the use of mobile devices which use digital technologies, such as virtual and
                                         augmented reality, to give visitors a more memorable experience.
                                             As highlighted in this example, the realization of the historical-technical Journal
                                         “Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage” at an intercontinental level is emblematic.
                                         Founded in 2001 at the University of Bologna, it publishes scientiic papers by re-
                                         searchers and schools of different origins and from various countries, in hard copy and
                                         online in “open access”, meeting the requirements of internationalization with its Sci-


                                    18
entiic Board and with the involvement of Universities, institutions at an international,
as well as national level.
   Following a series of quality certiication by Entities and Organizations distributed
across the continents, it also performs the function of training the professional igure
who must properly address and help to resolve the many issues related to the various
scientiic areas of a historical-humanistic, technical-experimental, social-management
nature in the cultural and environmental heritage sector. It must be highlighted how the
“quality” recognized by the afore-mentioned Organizations, has contributed decisively
to the knowledge and dissemination of the Journal, in its digital version and the ensu-
ing asymmetrical conditions.
   This means that the use of digital technology has positively impacted Journal us-
age. It is read, evaluated, judged, and used by the readership, not only to publish their
own research with consequent dissemination and personal achievement, but also for
self-teaching and training, by providing a ‘reference’ for themselves that is reported and
transmitted globally. It is equally true, moreover, that the Journal’s appearance has, over
the course of its sixteen years, changed and renewed its editorial guise. It has also
helped to increase its dissemination and will continue to do so in the course of time be-
cause, in an increasingly unpredictable and rapidly evolving world, in the ield of science
and, more generally, in culture, creativity is a decisive factor. Creativity, as initially em-
phasized, is synonymous with utility and innovation, and in this case too, is synonymous
with a change that is in line with scientiic knowledge and technological progress.
   The White Paper on Creativity, published by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and
Activities in a Ministerial Decree of 2007, reports: “Creativity and culture are an indis-
soluble combination, a successful mechanism that can place the country in a strategic
position in the international process of globalization “.
   To conclude, a reference must be made to the irst global popeμ Pope Francis, who
sees the Church as a “magnifying glass” centered on the suffering of the poorest. This
accentuation is accompanied by an invitation to leave ecclesiastical enclosures, to meet,




                                                                                                      CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
to communicate the faith, giving absolute priority to the so-called “non-negotiable val-
ues”: ethical values resembling natural law. The Pope points to a Catholicism of the peo-
ple, not to a cohesive Catholic minorityμ he spiritually and humanly wants to ill the voids
opened by globalization. This is the challenge of the irst global Pope to an immensely
changing world: a wide, merciful, attractive Church, starting with the poorest.
   This is emphasized by Giancarlo Elia Valori:
   “Frances’ church in this perspective changes its model of evangelization entirely.
In a few words, Catholicism today plays out its new global role, also as a winner of
globalization, in favor of all peoples especially for those countries and peoples who
are losing the game. Pope Francis’ Jesuit training has greatly inluenced this desire to
transform, on an equal footing for all, the Church of Peter into a Church, that is, also
physically, universal. Never again should it become identiied as part of the West, but
as the suffering Heart of Christ throughout mankind”.
   There are others who believe there is another model of church that gives priority
to traditional values: a national-Catholicism in which national identity should stem the
low of global patterns, εuslim immigration, and European Union parameters.
   Ultimately, two concepts and positions which, with the innate respective truths each
possesses, hold within them both spiritually and faithfully, the good of everyone as the
aim of their mission, addressing both believers and non-believers.



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