Land of Il Principe and Principessa
Italy has generated so much genius through the years that it transcends the need to invoke an Italian genius, current or past, in art, writing, movies, fashion, soccer, or anything. For such a fabulous country, it has an academic system so twisted that it almost always invokes Il Principe. So, here is a shout-out to the academics in Italy who triumph despite the system.
ps: Italian academia has been in my psyche both through experiences of friends and this recent IHT article, but Luca's post on the Italian Academics' strike led to my post.
pps: I have no idea what the voluble Benigni says on the clip.
ppps: I wanted to name this blog Paese che vai, non usanza che trovi, but I did not know where to put the non in the second half.
ps: Italian academia has been in my psyche both through experiences of friends and this recent IHT article, but Luca's post on the Italian Academics' strike led to my post.
pps: I have no idea what the voluble Benigni says on the clip.
ppps: I wanted to name this blog Paese che vai, non usanza che trovi, but I did not know where to put the non in the second half.
posted by metoo at 5:10 AM
6 Comments:
That would be Principessa.
The way you wrote it is closer the French (princesse) or Spanish (princesa).
Thank you. Corrected!
Not just academia and not just Italy. I currently live and work in Europe and not a moment passes when I do not appreciate the American way.
I currently live and work in Europe and not a moment passes when I do not appreciate the American way.
If you are a world traveler you end up appreciating the best of each culture. The economic dynamism and efficiency of the US, the cultural riches of Europe, the tradition of millennial empires such as Egypt, Iran, India, and China, the geographic splendor of tropical countries, the personal warmth of Latin countries, the understated nature of Scandinavians, and the list goes on.
So, here is a shout-out to the academics in Italy who triumph despite the system.
Thanks Muthu! I am sure that your many friends in Italy appreciate your moral support.
I have been away from Italy for the best part of 21 years myself and I am always amazed by how much the system hinders the work of so many dedicated and talented people. I hope that the system will change in Italy in the near future, but I am not overly optimistic. I hope to be proved wrong, though :-)
The previous anonymous poster wrote:
If you are a world traveler you end up appreciating the best of each culture....
Very well said indeed. I could not agree more and I second all the items on your list! In fact, I'll pen your comment down in my notebook for future use.
To the anonymous, world traveller: well written!
Alas, in some ways, I find myself in situation X but missing and appreciating the advantages of Y.
-- metoo
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