IN-ITALJA is proud to present the first Dynamic and Digital Atlas on the History of Jews in Italy, focusing on mobility, interrelations, economy, and culture. This Digital Atlas synthesizes the findings of three PRIN research projects hosted by Sapienza University of Rome, University of Milan, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, and University of Pisa.
Methodologically, IN-ITALJA integrates expertise and research from various fields, including Jewish studies, medieval history, modern history, contemporary history, economic history, gender history, book history, and art history. The goal is to illuminate the intricate history of Jewish minorities and their pivotal role in shaping broader historical narratives. This is achieved through an open-access, comprehensive database and a spatial approach that has been previously missing in these studies.
Covering a timeline from the late Middle Ages to the enactment of racial laws, IN-ITALJA focuses on crucial phenomena such as the Spanish expulsions, ghettoization, the Counter-Reformation, Emancipation, and the implementation of racial laws. For the first time, attention to objects, the mobility of goods, ideas, people, and personal, political, and economic interrelations is presented in a mapped format.
The project pioneers new methods of metadata annotation and representation to intertwine and dialogize findings and methodologies from diverse disciplines, centering on Linked Open Data (LOD). As such, IN-ITALJA aspires to serve as a pilot project in the field of digital humanities. The initiative benefits from the collaboration of industry leaders Alicubi and Regesta and the scientific support of DigiLab Sapienza.