Presented by Daniela Boccassini, Professor of Italian (UBC FHIS)
About the talk:
How did we come to sever the bond of reciprocity that tied us to the natural world? How did we come to forget that our sense perceptions, our human languages and ways of knowing are inextricably tied to the “more than human world” to which we belong? Rediscovering the “sensuous” in the porous relationship with the animated environment means rediscovering our place in the aliveness of an “enveloping” world, on which we depend for our mental sanity, even more than for our physical survival.
Daniela Boccassini is going to share with us why and how she translated David Abram’s ground-breaking book The Spell of the Sensuous (1996) / L’incanto del sensibile (Italian ed., 2026), at a time when the gifts of our “natural intelligence” are being overshadowed by what the industry insidiously peddles as the panacea of “artificial intelligence”. As students and teachers in the Humanities, it is our call to remember and spell out, on the brink of the Great Vanishing, what makes us humans, in convivial partnership with the “more-than-human” world.
The event will be held in English.
About the FHIS Research Seminar:
Hosted by the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies (FHIS) and open to the entire UBC community, the FHIS Research Seminar is a forum for sharing the latest research related to French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romance Studies. Each seminar involves thought-provoking presentations by guest speakers, faculty members, and graduate students. Engage in lively discussions, connect with fellow scholars, and enjoy complimentary coffee, tea, and light refreshments. Please RSVP in advance to confirm your attendance.
Registration:
Contact:
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Katharina Piechocki (katharina.piechocki@ubc.ca).
UBC Vancouver is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) People.
