The project suggests that philosophical, aesthetic and philosophical–political analysis can reveal cinema to be a utopia-generating device of our culture and, in doing so, develops methodological, theoretical and educational tools that exploit philosophical interpretations of films as a means of building democratic citizenship in schools and the public sphere at large. The researchers’ take is that the critical and imaginative thinking both performed and inspired by philosophy, cinema and the utopian/dystopian veins can be used to educate students and citizens and involve them in the democratic process of designing transformative practices. The division of labour among the units will entail both specialisation and overlap. The unit at San Raffaele will focus on the relation between figural ways of thinking in philosophy (from the apocalyptic to the utopian) and the arguments, themes, thesis and messages conveyed and creatively elaborated by cinematic narratives. The unit at Modena-Reggio Emilia will focus on how recent practices of local and bottom-up participation by citizens in the democratic processes of deliberation can enlighten and, in turn, be enlightened by the kind of active participation (both emotionally charged and critically detached) that occurs during film spectatorship. The unit at University of Verona will focus on the more speculative notions of ‘critical imagination’ and ‘critical ethics of images’ and, in doing so, the interconnected hypothesis will be developed that imagination can be considered itself a form of agency. The research, however, will aim at inclusion in its development and practices. In fact, side by side with the organisation and production of classic academic items such as seminars, workshops, conferences and articles, the research group will actively work with high-school students and teachers in a set of labs and seminars. These interactive occasions have the aim of disseminating the methods and ideas developed in the philosophical study of utopian and dystopian cinema and of gathering insights concerning how to best ensure (as much as possible) the imaginative and critical engagement of students. The deliverables include not only research papers, articles and possibly a monographic issue of an international philosophy journal but also a blue print for the future use of research outcomes in non-academic environments, such as schools and other venues for cultural and educational activity. Especially significant will be, first, the systematic collection of data on the students’ reactions to the projection and philosophical discussion of films selected by the research team. A second significant deliverable will be the production of a guidebook for teachers containing suggestions on the methodology for the philosophical analysis of films and a body of case studies drawn from the list of films selected by the researchers.
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