The magical value of words. How catastrophe gives rise to word amulets

Titolo Rivista SOCIOLOGIA URBANA E RURALE
Autori/Curatori Alessia de Biase, Carolina Marelli
Pubblicazione Online First 19/12/2025 Fascicolo 2025/Online First
Lingua Italiano Numero pagine 19 P. 1-19 Dimensione file 153 KB
DOI 10.3280/SUR2025-20720
Il DOI è il codice a barre della proprietà intellettuale: per saperne di più clicca qui

Qui sotto puoi vedere in anteprima la prima pagina di questo articolo.

Se questo articolo ti interessa, lo puoi acquistare (e scaricare in formato pdf) seguendo le facili indicazioni per acquistare il download credit. Acquista Download Credits per scaricare questo Articolo in formato PDF

Anteprima articolo

FrancoAngeli è membro della Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA)associazione indipendente e non profit per facilitare (attraverso i servizi tecnologici implementati da CrossRef.org) l’accesso degli studiosi ai contenuti digitali nelle pubblicazioni professionali e scientifiche

This article explores contemporary processes of valorization through the social use of terms such as “biodiversity,” and “permaculture,” interpreted as “word amulets” endowed with symbolic and performative power. Drawing on sociological theory and ethnographic cases, it shows how crises and catastrophes disrupt existing value regimes and foster the emergence of simplified, shareable value-words. These terms do not merely describe reality but actively shape practices, beliefs, and policies, producing selective forms of protection. The article highlights the historical, dynamic nature of values and the central role of language in their collective construction.

Parole chiave:valorisation processes, catastrophe, simplification, magic, performativity, protection

  1. Austin J.L. (2025). Come fare le cose con le parole. Bologna: Marietti1820.
  2. Baker A. (2022). Simplicity. In Zalta E.N. (ed). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2022/entries/simplicity (accessed 05/09/2025).
  3. Bourdieu P. (1979). La distinction: Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit. Bourdieu P. (1982). Ce que parler veut dire. Paris: Fayard.
  4. De Martino E. (1959). Sud e magia. Milano: Feltrinelli.
  5. Derrida J. (2016 [1968; 1972]). La pharmacie de Platon. In Nagy G. (ed). Greek Literature and Philosophy. Paris: Éditions du Seuil.
  6. Fourcade M. (2011). Cents and Sensibility: Economic Valuation and the Nature of “Nature”.
  7. American Journal of Sociology, 116(6): 1721-1777. DOI: 10.1086/659640
  8. Graeber D. (2001). Toward an anthropological theory of value: The false coin of our own dreams. New York: Palgrave.
  9. Heinich N. (2017). Des valeurs. Une approche sociologique. Paris: Gallimard.
  10. Ingold T. (2000). The Perception of the Environment: Essays on Livelihood, Dwelling and Skill. London: Routledge.
  11. Latour B. (1991). Nous n’avons jamais été modernes. Paris: La Découverte.
  12. Limone G. (2014). La catastrofe come orizzonte del valore. Clivio: Monduzzi Editore.
  13. Malinowski B. (2002 [1935]). Coral Gardens and Their Magic: The Language and Magic of Gardening. London: Routledge.
  14. Malinowski B. (2014 [1922]). Argonauts of the Western Pacific. London: Routledge. Marelli C.M. (2018). Traduire la biodiversité urbaine: enquête autour d’une mesure. Doctoral dissertation, Université Paris Nanterre.
  15. Maris V. (2010). Philosophie de la biodiversité: petite éthique pour une nature en péril. Pa-ris: Buchet-Chastel.
  16. Meine C., Soulé M., Noss R.F. (2006). “A mission-driven discipline”: the growth of conservation biology. Conservation biology, 20(3): 631-651.
  17. Mollison B., Holmgren D. (1978). Permaculture One: A perennial agriculture for human settlements. Melbourne: Transworld Publishers.
  18. Rosanvallon P. (2011). Penser le populisme. La Vie des Idées. Testo disponibile al sito: https://laviedesidees.fr/Penser-le-populisme.html.
  19. Skovgaard-Smith I., Hirst A., (2023). Marcel Mauss and the magical agents of our time.
  20. Journal of Classical Sociology, 24(2): 171-185. DOI: 10.1177/1468795X231151797
  21. Tambiah, S.J. (2016 [1968]). The Magical Power of Words. In Stewart P.J., Strathern A. (eds). Ritual. London: Routledge.
  22. Taussig M. (1992). The nervous system. New York: Routledge.
  23. Taussig M. (2010). The corn wolf: Writing apotropaic texts. Critical Inquiry, 37(1): 26-33. DOI: 10.1086/656467

Alessia de Biase, Carolina Marelli, The magical value of words. How catastrophe gives rise to word amulets in "SOCIOLOGIA URBANA E RURALE" Online First/2025, pp 1-19, DOI: 10.3280/SUR2025-20720