Dystopian Worlds Beyond Storytelling - Representations of Dehumanized Societies in Literature, Media, and Political Discourses: Multidisciplinary Perspectives

Valerio Alfonso Bruno is research fellow at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, where he collaborates with Polidemos (Centre for the Study of Democracy and Political Change), also a fellow at Far-Right Analysis Network (FRAN) and member of the Center for European Futures (CEF). He works on European and Italian politics, with a focus on populist and radical right-wing parties. He has recently contributed to the The Routledge Handbook of Far-Right Extremism in Europe and The Routledge Handbook of Non-Violent Extremism and is currently working on the books The Rise of the Radical-Right in Italy (ibidem) with J. F. Downes and A. Scopelliti and Brothers of Italy: Organisation, Leadership and Ideology (Springer) with M. Morini. His analyses and interviews have appeared, among others, in The Financial Times, The Economist, France 24, Al Jazeera, The Sunday Times, and The Telegraph.

Antonio Campati is Research Fellow at Catholic University of Sacred Heart (Milan). He is a member of the Editorial Board of Rivista italiana di filosofia politica and Power and Democracy. His research interests mainly focus on the transformations of political representation, the role of elites and the theories of democracy. Author of the books: La distanza democratica. Corpi intermedi e rappresentanza politica (Vita e Pensiero, Milano, 2022) and I migliori al potere. La qualità nella rappresentanza politica (Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2016). He also edited: Democrazia e liberalismo: un connubio da ripensare? (Apes, Roma, 2022), Cittadinanza e sogno europeo. Partecipazione e inclusione tra vincoli e opportunità (Mimesis, Milano, 2019) and Democracy and Disintermediation. A Dangerous Relationship (with D. Palano, Educatt, Milano, 2022).

Paolo Carelli is Assistant Professor at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and Brescia where he teaches Media Theory, Broadcasting History and Media and Digital Communication for International Business. Senior Researcher at Ce.R.T.A. - Research Centre for Television and Audiovisual Media, he is didactic coordinator of the Master course “Fare TV. Gestione, Sviluppo, Comunicazione”. His main field of research is television studies with a focus on transformation of national media systems, relationship between TV and sports and representation of locations in TV products. He has published several articles on international journals and his latest book is Il passaggio al 5G e gli effetti sul sistema radio-televisivo locale (with A. Sfardini, Rubbettino 2020).

Anna Sfardini is Assistant Professor at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan) where she teaches Intercultural Communication and Research Methods on Media Production and Consumption. She is Senior Researcher at Ce.R.T.A. (Research Centre for Television and Audiovisual Media, at Università Cattolica), and Didactic Director of the Master course “Fare TV. Gestione, Sviluppo Comunicazione”. Her principal field is media and television studies with a focus on media convergence, audiences, TV genres, mediatization of politics, TV for women and for kids. She is the author of several papers and books including Reality TV (Unicopli, 2009), La TV delle donne. Brand, programmi e pubblici (Unicopli, 2015, with C. Penati), La politica pop (Il Mulino, 2009, with G. Mazzoleni), La televisione. Modelli teorici e percorsi di analisi (Carocci, 2017, with M. Scaglioni).

Damiano Palano is Full professor of Political Philosophy and Director of Political Sciences Department at Catholic University of Sacred Heart (Milan). He teaches “Political Science” and “Political Theory of the Global Age”. He is currently engaged in a research project on the transformation of democracy and on the rise of populism. Recent publications include the books: Bubble democracy. La fine del pubblico e la nuova polarizzazione (Scholé-Morcelliana, Brescia, 2020); Il mondo fragile. Scenari globali dopo la pandemia (Vita e Pensiero, Milano, 2020; ed. with R. Caruso); Il segreto del potere. Alla ricerca di un’ontologia del “politico” (Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli, 2018); Populismo (Bibliografica, Milano, 2017).

Massimo Scaglioni is Full Professor of Media History and Media Economics at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan. He is also Adjunct Professor of Transmedia Narratives and Television: Industry and Languages at USI - Università della Svizzera Italiana, in Lugano. He is the co-founder and current Director of Ce.R.T.A. (Research Centre for Television and Audiovisual Media at Università Cattolica) and Director of the Master course “Fare TV. Gestione, Sviluppo, Comunicazione” at ALMED. Massimo Scaglioni is currently co-applicant on the Global Media and Internet Concentration (GMIC) Project, an international research project that has been awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; he has been the Principal Investigator of the three-year research project CinCit. International Circulation of Italian Cinema funded by MIUR (PRIN 2015 Program). He has published various volumes on media and broadcasting history and industry both as an author and as an editor, including: La televisione nella pandemia. Intrattenimento, fiction, informazione e sport nell’anno del Covid-19. Annuario 2021 (Carocci, 2021); A European Television Fiction Renaissance: Premium Production Models and Transnational Circulation (Routledge, 2021, with L. Barra); Cinema Made in Italy. La circolazione internazionale dell’audiovisivo italiano (Carocci, 2020), L’altro virus. Comunicazione e disinformazione al tempo del Covid-19 (Vita e Pensiero, 2020, with M. Sala).