ANNUAL REPORT (doctoral year 2021-2022)
For the PhD in Asian and African Civilizations, 2022 was a year still partially conditioned by the persistence of limitations to intercontinental mobility, but overall very profitable and full of important achievements.
Despite the permanence of the limitations on mobility to and from the People's Republic of China for the whole of 2022, exchanges with Japan and Korea, as well as with the countries of North Africa and Central Asia (as well as obviously the European countries) are returned to normal (with the exception of flight fares, which in the case of intercontinental travel can be extremely expensive), allowing the resumption of numerous research activities that had been temporarily suspended (think, for example, of archaeological research in the Indian subcontinent or the collection of manuscripts in the archives of the Arab and/or Far Eastern world). In one case, the discoveries made during missions to Asia led to a serious rethinking of the research and the consequent request for extension of the doctoral course. With the exception of two exceptions related to additional extensions, all PhD students of the 35th cycle delivered their thesis by 31 January 2023 in compliance with the deadlines set by the "third Covid extension" of three months established by the Law of 21 May 2021 no. 69, published in the Official Gazette no. 120 of 05/21/2021 (art. 33).
International relations
Very important in terms of international agreements was the stipulation of a new co-tutorship agreement with the Institut national des langues et civilizations orientales (INALCO), which is characterized by being an incoming co-tutorship, testifying to the attractiveness of the doctorate in Civilization of Asia and Africa internationally. This co-tutorship agreement is in addition to the other four previously stipulated and still valid.
In addition to the participation of numerous foreign professors in the teaching of the PhD, 2022 was also marked by intense scientific and organizational work aimed at the realization of the THIRD INTERNATIONAL DOCTORAL SYMPOSIUM ON ASIAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES, held at the Sapienza University of Rome on 3 and 4 March 2023. The symposium is jointly organized by the University of Rome Sapienza and the University of Venice Ca' Foscari, with the participation of the University of Heidelberg, Tohoku University and Lancaster University. The event saw the participation of eighteen speakers (PhD students of the XXXVI and XXXVII cycle chosen by the five universities) and two keynote speakers, Joseph Sanzo of the Ca' Foscari University of Venice (PI ERC "Early Jewish and Christian Magical Traditions in Comparison and Contact”) and Francesco Zappa, University of Rome Sapienza (see the poster and the program in the seminars section). To promote internationalization and exchange, during the symposium (third in the series, after the first in 2020 at Sapienza and the second in 2021 in Venice) all participants had the opportunity to discuss one-hour to-one tutoring with an expert professor in the research sector or reference area belonging to a university other than one's own. Teachers from the five participating universities were involved, but also from the University of Birmingham and the University of Naples l'Orientale.
Research funding
2022 began with the admission to the Doctorate in Asian and African civilizations of two PhD students with PON scholarships: Ileana Amadei with the project "ORACLEx (Open Research environment for the Ancient Chinese LExicon)", Maryam Jami with the project “The role of Asian diaspora women in the green turning point of the arts in Italy: social practices and artistic interventions for sustainable development.”
Also in 2022, the funding of a grant from PNNR funds was particularly important, assigned to PhD student Melissa Fedi for the project entitled "Persian lexicography and digital resources: compiling an implementable Italian-Persian digital dictionary".
In addition to this, between 2021 and 2022, through a university competitive tender, no less than nine Start to Research projects were financed, which encouraged mobility and the purchase of resources for research in the field of Asian and Asian studies. about Africa.
Awards and recognitions
The a.y. 2021-2022 was also marked by the awarding of numerous awards and prizes to the PhDs of the Doctorate in Civilizations of Asia and Africa. They are visible among the news on the front page.
Publications: Percorsi in Civiltà dell’Asia e dell’Africa II. Quaderni di studi dottorali alla Sapienza
In the a.y. 2021-2022 the volume Percorsi in Civiltà dell’Asia e dell’Africa II. Quaderni di studi dottorali alla Sapienza took shape. This is the second volume released in the Serie Ricerche sull'Oriente - Series in Humanistic Studies of Sapienza University Publishing; these volumes inherit the previous experience with the publisher Carocci (2018 and 2022). The novelty of these publications is the release in Open access, in compliance with the Open science objectives pursued by the European Union to increase the circulation of knowledge and the dissemination of knowledge. The first volume collects essays by research doctorates of the 33rd and 32nd cycles, together with essays by doctoral students of the 34th cycle (enrolled in the third year). The second volume, released in January 2023, contains the essays of ten doctrines of cycles XXXVI and XXXVII.
Infrastructure and equipment
The a.y. 2021-2022 was characterized by an assiduous attendance of on-site teaching activities (the exceptions to the rule are off-site students, who were dispensed with for logistical reasons). In particular, the availability of a study room intended for doctoral students, located on the third floor of the Marco Polo Building, was particularly appreciated. The Hall is equipped with workstations for individual computers; there are also two latest generation MAC desktop computers, available only to doctoral students; one of these computers was connected to a vertical scanner for document acquisition with OCR recognition software valid for 280 languages. Considering the increasing number of PhD students who meet at the Sapienza premises to work in a favorable environment, the PhD has agreed with the library of the Department of Oriental Studies to make available four dedicated workstations, with special lockers, in the library itself.