This contribution proposes a theoretical-empirical reflection on the relationship among the three sociological concepts identified by the authors as essential dimensions of the innovation: cultural change, education, and territory.The aim is to illustrate the complex relationship among these dimensions and the implications involved in terms of sociological perspectives and research tools, on the basis of the analysis of an emblematic case study: " FQTS", Italian acronym of the project of Education of Executives and Leaders of the Third Sector in the Southern Italy.In particular, this investigation will be aimed at: (re)defining sociological concepts considered fundamental for the study of innovation; reconstructing the main empirical evidence emerging from the analysis of the case study; and summarizing the relevance of the research results, in terms of new themes and sociological perspectives, as well as of methodological questions.
Blood donation, distinctively characterised by both the value of the donated material itself and the process of the donation, is an emblematic sign of a universalistic and equalitarian conception of human rights. Usually, the number of blood donors living in an area is a significant proxy of the trust levels and of the social capital, and it is positively correlated to other phenomena (population mobility, job market's access, low level of familism), typically associated with an «open» society. The paper attempts to analyse the cultural, social and economic value of a service founded on people who voluntarily and regularly give blood in a culturally fragmented context which is in great need of social renewal. Moreover, it aims at enhancing the benefits and costs of political welfare which rely on gratuitousness and the third sector. It focuses on the Italian case where the current system of collection and distribution of blood is based on the donation market; thus, on the necessary cooperation between public, government and local institutions, and non-profit agencies. It researches the AVIS organisation, the Italian leader in blood collection. Quantitative data, in order to measure the social-economic impact of such a system, and qualitative material, to piece together the scenario by which donors, volunteers, non-profit organisations and politicians continually redefine the social contract for health care, are explored.
The article presents the results of a research carried out by the two main Sardinian newspapers. The first part is about the new immigrants as they are described by the local journalists. The second part is a trip through the places used as backgrounds inside those news having foreign men and women as main characters. Going from historical centres to ambiguous suburbs and proceeding trough slipways and building sites, tonnages and coal cellars, the investigation explores the changes and the mixing of different cultures in the most picturesque places in Sardinia.
The combination of media and migration is a classic theme of the social sciences. If migration is one of the most powerful factors in the transformation of societies, and the media are among the protagonists of the social construction of reality, then the narratives and media practices that natives and migrants produce starting from, and around, the migration experience are also fundamental agents of change. In a well-established panorama of studies, today two phenomena raise new questions: on the technological side, the massive spread of social networks and platforms; on the cultural side, the growth of the sons and daughters of migration, young people with migrant families, mixed backgrounds, often discriminated against their peers. The paper narrates the results of a survey, carried out in 2018-2019, on the relationship of Islamic youth with platforms and social network sites, to detect in their consumption practices similarities and differences with those of natives. To this end, 42 interviews were conducted with young men and women aged 18 to 30, residing in seven Italian cities.