Francesco Erspamer is professor of Italian and Romance studies at Harvard University.  He is interested in aesthetics, history of concepts and forms, politics, philosophy. He has worked extensively on the Renaissance, the 19^th  and 20^th century, and contemporary issues. His most recent books are The Creation of the Past: On Cultural Modernity and Fear of Change: Crisis and Criticism of the Concept of Culture. Email: erspamer@fas.harvard.edu.

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Pier Luigi Sacco is professor of political economy at the Università di Chieti-Pescara. His research is focused on the economy of culture in postindustrial times. He claims that investing in intangible goods must become a part of a new economic policy and that it is a way to include art in the building of our prosperity. Sacco has authored numerous publications on modern economics. Email: pierluigi_sacco@fas.harvard.edu.

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TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Katie Reneslacis is a PhD student in the Department Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University. She works in Italian and Spanish literature of the 20th century. Her interests lie in wartime poetic expression, the influence of religion, and the roles of women and mothers during eras dominated by fascist ideologies. She teaches in the Harvard Italian language and Spanish literature programs. Email: kreneslacis@g.harvard.edu.

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