Humiliation. A Colonial Practice
The Science in Dialogue seminar series explores the relationship between the sciences, highlighting connections, mutual influences and common challenges. The aim is to stimulate critical and open discussion, fostering an integrated view of knowledge and offering food for thought on the very nature of scientific research in its cultural, historical and social context. Through interdisciplinary meetings, scholars from different fields and backgrounds will discuss the role of science in the construction of knowledge and in contemporary society. Central issues such as the relationship between science and history, the impact of scientific innovations on humanistic thought, the role of scientific communication and the tensions between specialisation and interdisciplinarity will be explored. Each seminar will be an opportunity to question how science contributes not only to technical progress, but also to the understanding of the world and man. The historical-philosophical perspective, in particular, will make it possible to highlight how science is not an isolated activity, but the result of a continuous dialogue with the social, cultural and intellectual context in which it develops, offering essential tools for interpreting the challenges of the present and the future.
Abstract
Humiliation has historically functioned as a strategic instrument of power in conflict, with gendered, sexualized, and racialized forms serving as particularly effective means of degrading both external adversaries and internal dissenters. As such, humiliation plays a critical role in the consolidation of domination. The experience of coloniality, in its various configurations, is intrinsically linked to processes of humiliation. The systematic dehumanization of colonized populations not only enforces their subjugation but also renders them perpetually vulnerable to acts of humiliation. This talk explores contemporary manifestations of humiliation as a colonial practice, with specific reference to three case studies: the genocide in Palestine, border enforcement regimes, and the US-led sanctions imposed on Iran. The focus is not on what humiliation is, but what it does: how it legitimizes domination, mobilizes populist revanchism, and sustains structural violence.
Chair
Paolo Boccagni, Università di Trento
Discussant
Anna Casaglia, Università di Trento
Francesca Decimo, Università di Trento
Ester Gallo, Università di Trento
Daniela Giudici, Politecnico di Torino