Michele Chiaruzzi, director of the Research Center for International Relations, delved into history, customs, values and more
Among the 45 countries described and told from a cultural and social point of view in one of the most recent and updated encyclopedias on Europe, published by the English publisher Bloomsbury Publishing, a twenty-page chapter written by Michele Chiaruzzi, director of the Research Center for International Relations of the University of the Republic of San Marino.
The edition, divided into two volumes and edited by the anthropologist Thomas Wilson, has a global distribution and is characterized by the themes chosen in the description of the different realities: in addition to the historical elements, which combine institutions and events, ample space for customs and styles of life, economy, work, religion, sport and cuisine of each country, of which literature, dance, clothing, architecture and art, as well as the media, are also analysed.
These aspects engaged Chiaruzzi in an analysis and research activity developed over six years: "It was an intense job, for which an in-depth and direct knowledge of San Marino was required", specifies the academic. “I believe it is the first time that the part about our State, in an encyclopedia of this magnitude, has been written by a San Marino person. This testifies to the value recognized today by our University by the scientific community."
The director of the Research Center for International Relations therefore has the task of outlining the history and current characteristics of the Titan, going beyond his usual point of view, concentrated at university level on politics and institutions, to broaden the perspective to oral traditions and cultural forms: “I think for example of music – he explains – in which figures such as the luthier Marino Capicchioni were protagonists, with violins of great fame, born from his hands, capable of fascinating the great performers of the twentieth century. Or the international celebrity achieved by Antonio Ciacci, known as Little Tony. Then there are the sporting exploits, with the unrivaled Olympic success, or the first collection of San Marino folk tales, by Walter Anderson”.
Moving on to other aspects, the academic included in the chapter dedicated to the Titan "information linked to the life of the republic and its people, such as the figure of the citizen-soldier, the cooperative tradition and the exceptional nature of the social security system. The in-depth areas, in which precious details emerge around the figures of our fellow citizens, from Giovanni Bertoldi to the present day, offer a stimulating mix of values, interests and customs".
Founded in 1986, Bloomsbury Publishing is based in London and New York. She is known to the wider public for the Harry Potter fantasy saga. The novels are accompanied by a vast catalog of essays, including "Europe: an encyclopedia of culture and society".