La figure de Méduse. Réécritures ovidiennes entre XVIe et XVIIe siècle

Starting from an original assumption that Ovid is one of the most influential and studied European mythographers from ancient times till at least the end of the XVII century, my research is about rediscovering Medusa's myth which has been brought to us from Metamorphosis during the period of time between the mid XVI and the last years of the XVII century. The main thread that leads the research trough English, French, Spanish and Italian Literatures gets particularly clarified in the crucial crux that binds the image of Gorgon, the protector of hight mysteries, tightly correlated to the goddess of knowledge, Minerva, and the attraction/dismay for knowing so far considered inaccessible but now perceived as possible (so more attractive than before) thanks to the scientific and geographic discoveries of the Renaissance.

The influence of career histories on team perfomance in new product development: a study of the video game industry

The purpose of this research is to contribute to the literature on organizational demography and new product development by investigating how diverse individual career histories impact team performance. Moreover we highlighted the importance of considering also the institutional context and the specific labour market arrangements in which a team is embedded, in order to interpret correctly the effect of career-related diversity measures on performance. The empirical setting of the study is the videogame industry, and the teams in charge of the development of new game titles. Video games development teams are the ideal setting to investigate the influence of career histories on team performance, since the development of videogames is performed by multidisciplinary teams composed by specialists with a wide variety of technical and artistic backgrounds, who execute a significant amounts of creative thinking. We investigate our research question both with quantitative methods and with a case study on the Japanese videogame industry: one of the most innovative in this sector. Our results show how career histories in terms of occupational diversity, prior functional diversity and prior product diversity, usually have a positive influence on team performance. However, when the moderating effect of the institutional setting is taken in to account, career diversity has different or even opposite effect on team performance, according to the specific national context in which a team operates.

Les Femmes Fortes de la Scene Medievale : Martyres entre Ciel et Terre Etude comparative des heroines du theatre francais des XIVe-XVIe siecles

Le travail offre une vision d’ensemble des représentations du Moyen Âge tardif (XIVe-XVIe siècles), consacrées à des héroïnes féminines, en vue d’une étude de synthèse encore manquante sur le sujet. Le domaine culturel examiné est français, mais le panorama est élargi aux représentations provençales et toscanes quand on a de traces de représentation en France, même si le texte original est perdu. Les protagonistes des drames conservés sont des héroïnes de la foi : l’étude se focalise en particulier sur les drames qui mettent en scène des martyres. En outre, sont analysés d’un côté deux dialogues dramatiques latins de Hrotsvita (Xe siècle), qui constituent l’exemple le plus ancien d’un drame médiéval consacré à une sainte martyre, dans une perspective comparatiste qui prend aussi en compte la diachronie ; de l’autre côté, sont proposés des excursus sur le culte et l’iconographie ainsi qu’une comparaison avec les légendes hagiographiques. Le commentaire des textes du corpus révèle non seulement leurs qualités poétiques et leurs potentialités performatives, mais il présente aussi les constantes dramaturgiques qui les relient ainsi que les singularités qui les distinguent. Enfin, la comparaison avec deux exemples de drames européens de la même époque qui mettent en scène respectivement une héroïne historique et une figure légendaire, placées dans un horizon mondain et non saint, vient enrichir la lecture de l’héroïne martyre. La thèse se donne pour perspective de montrer que les problèmes posés par les textes (la stigmatisation du sujet féminin libre, la répression de la résistance au pouvoir, la contradiction entre un corps vulnérable et une parole puissante) sont d’un intérêt considérable non seulement pour le lecteur expert, mais aussi pour un spectateur et un metteur en scène potentiels, de sorte que se trouve justifiée la redécouverte de ces représentations médiévales par et sur les scènes d’aujourd’hui.

High temporal resolution insights into early life histories: integrating histomorphometric, trace element and isotopic analyses of dental hard tissues in archaeological populations from Italy

Teeth, with their high mineralisation, incremental growth, and lack of remodelling, serve as biological archives that document an individual's development. This project aims to utilise the potential of teeth in bioarchaeological studies to achieve three primary objectives: 1) to investigate the application of histological and histochemical methods in reconstructing developmental bio-chronologies and early life histories; 2) to refine the temporal precision of isotopic analysis of dentine collagen by developing a novel protocol that integrates micro-sampling techniques with high-resolution histomorphometrics; and 3) to synthesise data from enamel and dentine for a comprehensive understanding of early life development and dietary transitions. This study adopts an integrated multidisciplinary bioarchaeological approach, conducting histomorphometric analysis on enamel and dentine across deciduous and permanent dentitions. It applies high-temporal resolution trace element analysis to enamel using LA-ICPMS and δ13C and δ15N isotope analyses through sequential micro-sampling to dentine of permanent teeth. Samples were selected from diverse archaeological contexts across the Italian peninsula, covering the Upper Palaeolithic, Copper Age, and Early Medieval periods, providing insight into diachronic variations in infant development and life history. Findings highlight the efficacy of histological and histochemical techniques in accurately determining growth rates, physiological stress, dietary shifts (particularly timing of weaning), and age at death in infant remains. The consistency and comparison between enamel and dentine underscores the enhanced insight obtained from integrating information from both tissues. Importantly, the newly proposed protocol significantly improves the temporal accuracy of dentine collagen analysis, facilitating precise chronological placement of the results over broad developmental associations. This study reaffirms the significance of teeth as valuable bioarchaeological instruments. By introducing and testing multidisciplinary methods, it provides deeper insights into early life history and cultural practices across diverse chronological contexts, highlighting the importance of advanced methodologies in extracting detailed, accurate, and nuanced information from past populations.