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| Istituto Ernesto De Martino | |
|---|---|
| Name | Istituto Ernesto De Martino |
| Formation | 1975 |
| Type | Research institute |
| Location | Naples, Italy |
| Region served | Italy, Europe |
| Leader title | Director |
Istituto Ernesto De Martino
The Istituto Ernesto De Martino is an Italian research institute focused on anthropology-related studies, ethnography and cultural heritage preservation, based in Naples. It engages with scholars from institutions such as the Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale", Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and collaborates with museums like the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, and archives such as the Archivio di Stato di Napoli.
Founded in the mid-1970s, the institute emerged amid debates involving figures connected to Ernesto De Martino, Giorgio De Santillana, Cesare Brandi, Giuseppe Tucci, and networks tied to the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione. Early directors and contributors included scholars affiliated with Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Università degli Studi di Milano, Università di Bologna, and researchers from the Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. The institute's development paralleled initiatives such as the Legge Bottai reforms, cultural policies influenced by the Comune di Napoli, and projects linked to the European Cultural Heritage Year and the Council of Europe cultural programs. Over decades it has coexisted with other Italian centers like the Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici, the Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente, and international partners including the Smithsonian Institution, the British Museum, the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, and the Max Planck Society.
The institute's mission extends to ethnographic fieldwork, safeguarding intangible heritage, and publishing critical studies that intersect with archives in Vatican City, collections from the Museo Nazionale Romano, and documentation from the Istituto Centrale per la Demoetnoantropologia. Activities range from organizing conferences with participants from UNESCO, the European Commission, Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XXIII, and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura to advising regional administrations like the Regione Campania and municipal entities such as the Provincia di Napoli. It maintains ties to professional bodies including the Società Italiana di Antropologia e Etnologia and collaborates with cultural NGOs like Legambiente and Fondo Ambiente Italiano.
Research streams cover ritual studies, folklore, magic, healing practices, and migration studies, often juxtaposing archival materials from the Archivio Storico del Banco di Napoli with oral histories collected in collaboration with teams from Università degli Studi di Palermo, Università di Catania, and the Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro. Publications include monographs, edited volumes, and series co-published with academic presses such as Einaudi, Il Mulino, Feltrinelli, Laterza, and international houses like Routledge and Brill. The institute has produced journals and proceedings that feature contributors from Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Sorbonne University, and University of Barcelona, and has overseen catalogues for exhibitions at venues such as the Palazzo Reale di Napoli, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, and the Fondazione Prada.
Educational offerings include postgraduate seminars run with the Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SNS), doctoral colloquia in partnership with the Università di Torino and the Università degli Studi di Pavia, and summer schools coordinated with the European University Institute and the Central European University. Cultural programming incorporates exhibitions, public lectures, and community workshops held with institutions like the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, and youth outreach via the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Londra and the Goethe-Institut. The institute also supports residency programs connecting artists and researchers from Teatro San Carlo, Fondazione Campania dei Festival, and the Triennale Milano.
Major projects have mapped ritual landscapes in southern Italy alongside teams from the Università della Calabria and the Università del Salento, heritage digitization initiatives with the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo, and comparative research with the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, the Institute of Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Collaborative exhibitions and research have involved curators from the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Centro Pompidou, while grant-funded projects have been supported by programs from the European Research Council, the Horizon 2020 framework, and national bodies like the Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca.
The institute is governed by a board including academics, curators, and legal experts drawn from institutions such as the Università degli Studi di Genova, the Università di Trieste, the Università degli Studi di Perugia, and representatives of cultural foundations like the Fondazione Cariplo and the Fondazione CRT. Advisory committees have included eminent scholars associated with the British Academy, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and members from the UNESCO Italian National Commission. Administrative offices coordinate fundraising, grant management, and partnerships with municipal bodies like the Città Metropolitana di Napoli.
Facilities comprise research libraries linked with the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma, archive holdings that reference documents from the Archivio Centrale dello Stato, audiovisual collections recorded in the field with support from laboratories at the Istituto di Cinematografia e Televisione, and material culture collections catalogued in cooperation with the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione and the Museo delle Civiltà. Conservation labs work alongside experts from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and technicians from the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro to preserve artifacts relevant to southern Italian traditions, migration histories, and Mediterranean networks tying to ports such as Naples Port, Palermo Port, and Genoa Port.