Sciences of Interpretation
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The PhD in Sciences of Interpretation brings together diverse fields of knowledge around a key concept of contemporary culture. In late modernity, the exhaustion of any substantialist or normative framework has fostered the emergence of 'interpretation' as a theoretical space for understanding human existence and history (Heidegger). Within this horizon, scientific communities have widely recognized language as the fundamental medium through which cultural phenomena are manifested (Gadamer), as well as the primary pathway toward the historical understanding of texts. Linguistics, lexicography, and philology must not be conceived as merely classification-based or erudite disciplines, but rather as dynamic tools offering an integrated approach to the ways reality is expressed and constituted through human language (Benjamin), following the legacy of the great Romance philologists, from Auerbach onward. The textual 'fact' and its 'meaning' in relation to truth are not two distinct horizons, but are directed toward a Vichian integration between factum and verum, which prompts a foundational dialogue between linguistic, philological-critical, and philosophical disciplines. The PhD program aims to establish a structured relationship between the sciences of fact and the sciences of meaning—taking full account of the digital age—to enable a hermeneutic reading of cultural phenomena, putting an end to all dichotomies and giving rise to an innovative, multidisciplinary model of the concept of interpretation.
Prospective career paths primarily encompass higher education, academic research, and secondary education. Thanks to the expertise of Faculty Board members specialized in applying digital tools to the humanities, the program aims to train philologists, linguists, and hermeneutic scholars who leverage the integration of traditional knowledge and digital methodologies as a key competitive asset.
This high-level training will also enable PhD graduates to secure advanced positions within Public Administration and, notably, to establish independent entrepreneurial ventures within their fields of expertise, offering specialized services in intercultural mediation, philosophical counseling, text composition, as well as the collation, reconstruction, and interpretation of ancient and modern textual sources.
Contacts
Coordinator: Antonino Sichera
Deputy Coordinator: Gaetano Lalomia
Secretary: Marco Venuti
Administrative headquarters: Department of Humanities, Piazza Dante 32 - 95124 Catania
Useful document
Funding Opportunity Poster – Region of Sicily