Luca Grisolini is a doctoral student in Educational Sciences and Psychology at the University of Florence. His work focuses on contemporary social history, studying the processes of governance for research and educational valorization of the tangible and intangible heritage of Casentino. We talked to him about his stay at CISPAC to learn more about his research.
What is your research about?
I am a student of Pedagogy and I work on the competences needed for collaborative governance, policymaking and horizontal leadership in the local development of the mountainous areas of Tuscany. In the last 30 years, collaborative processes have been key to revitalize territories with problems of depopulation and scarcity of resources. These communities often find it difficult to maintain and enhance their artistic and cultural heritage.
For this reason, it is essential to study the competences not only of the people who govern, but also of the associations and individuals who actively participate in the social structure. In my case, I am researching the Casentino valley, a mountainous region of Tuscany that faces these challenges but is also a pioneer in sustainable development. Community participation in policy design and heritage management is essential. Currently, there are European models that measure the political competences of institutional representatives, but I propose to apply them to the whole community, because anyone can play an active role in policymaking.
What skills should citizens acquire in order to contribute to heritage management?
Collaboration is the key. Horizontal leadership is fundamental: it is a leadership in which whoever guides the process is not in a position of superiority, but works on an equal footing with the rest of the community. This means knowing the policies, the official documents and the participation mechanisms so that all voices are chosen.
In horizontal governance, a member of the public administration or a member of an association can lead a process without imposing himself/herself, facilitating dialogue to find collective solutions. The citizens, living daily in the territory, know their problems better than anyone else. I deal specifically with intangible heritage and forest ecosystems, where the experience and knowledge of local actors are essential to design sustainable and effective strategies.
Do you think this project can be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective?
Totally. My research seeks to offer tools to public administrations to evaluate and improve the competences of the different social actors. One of the proposals I am developing is a “competence radar”, a model that will allow to identify which skills need to be reinforced and where to invest resources.
“To limit oneself only to the literature of a specific field is insufficient to understand the complexity of these processes”.
This implies studying not only governance and pedagogy, but also public administration and sociology. Institutional training policies are crucial, and this interdisciplinary approach is also related to open science, which supports collaboration between different areas of knowledge. For me, limiting oneself only to the literature of a specific field is insufficient to understand the complexity of these processes.
How do you value your stay at CISPAC?
Great. For me, the most valuable thing is to have a space for debate with colleagues from other disciplines that enrich my perspective. Besides, Galicia and Toscana have many similarities in their educational systems and in their model of rural development. I believe that this could be the basis for establishing future collaborations and strengthening a unity of studies shared by both regions.
This interview was conducted by Sara Flores Martín (Bolseira Colaboración Ministerio – Máster Historia Contemporánea) and Claudia Quintela Aróstegui (PAE Grao en Historia).