Marco Aime, is professor of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Genoa. He has conducted research on the Alps and in West Africa. He regularly contributes to ‘La Stampa’ and ‘Liberazione’ newsdailies, and has been a consultant to ‘Pistoia-Dialogues on Man’ since its first edition. He also sits on the jury of the Chatwin Prize. In addition to his many scientific papers, Aime has authored a number of books: Le radici nella sabbia (EDT, 1999); Diario Dogon (Bollati Boringhieri, 2000); La casa di nessuno. I mercati in Africa occidentale (Bollati Boringhieri, 2002); L’incontro mancato (Bollati Boringhieri, 2005); Gli specchi di Gulliver (Bollati Boringhieri, 2006); Timbuctu (Bollati Boringhieri, 2008); Il diverso come icona del male (with E. Severino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2009); Gli uccelli della solitudine (Bollati Boringhieri 2010); La macchia della razza (Ponte alle Grazie, 2009); Eccessi di culture (Einaudi, 2004); Il primo libro di antropologia (Einaudi, 2008); Una bella differenza (Einaudi 2009); Il dono al tempo di Internet (with A. Cossetta, Einaudi, 2010); Verdi tribù del Nord. La Lega vista da un antropologo (Laterza, 2012).

Virgilio Sieni, is an Italian dancer and choreographer. After studying ballet and contemporary dance in Amsterdam, New York e Tokyo, in 1983 he started his own dance company, Parco Butterfly, renamed Compagnia Virgilio Sieni 1992. The company has gained international renown as one of Europe’s best. It cooperates with Europe’s leading theaters and festivals, and in addition to designing dance performances it conducts a program of research, study and dissemination of contemporary choreography. Sieni has authored choreographies for Italy’s best theaters, including La natura delle cose (2008), and Tristes Tropiques (2010), inspired by Claude Lévi-Strauss. Since 2003, Sieni has headed CANGO-Cantieri Goldonetta, a space in Florence for body practices and for research on the languages of contemporary art. In 2007, he founded the Academy of gesture art. His project Diario fisico di un viaggio was staged in Santiago, Chile in 2011.

David Le Breton is professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg, a member of the Institut Universitaire de France, and the author of a number of works on the anthropology of the body. Among his books that are not yet translated into Italian are: Corps et sociétés. Essai de sociologie et d'anthropologie du corps (1985); Anthropologie du corps et modernité (PUF 1990, 2003); La sociologie du corps (PUF 1992); L’adieu au corps (Métailié 1999); En souffrance (Métailié, 2007) ; Expériences de la douleur entre destruction et renaissance (Métailié, 2010). Available in Italian translation are: Passione del rischio (EGA 1995); Il mondo a piedi (Feltrinelli 2001); La pelle e la traccia. Le ferite del sé (Meltemi 2005); Il sapore del mondo. Un’antropologia dei sensi (Raffaello Cortina 2007); Antropologia del dolore (Meltemi 2007); Antropologia del corpo e modernità (Giuffrè 2007).

Rossella Ghigi is a researcher in sociology and she is the Scientific Director of Bologna University’s research center on gender and education at the Department of Education Sciences. Among her research interests are gender studies, body culture and consumption, social discrimination. She has authored many publications, including Per piacere. Storia culturale della chirurgia estetica (il Mulino 2008); I complessi di Narciso. Gli uomini e la chirurgia estetica in Uomini e corpi. Una riflessione sui rivestimenti della mascolinità (Franco Angeli 2009); Fisiognomica e chirurgia estetica, in: R. Ghigi-L. Rodler, Il volto nel pensiero contemporaneo (Il Pozzo di Giacobbe 2010); Nature et artifice dans la chirurgie esthétique, in: Multiples du social. Regards socio-anthropologiques (L’Harmattan 2010). She edited the upcoming book, Adolescenti in genere, which will be published by Carocci later this year.

Telmo Pievani (1970) is professor of Philosophy of Science at Milan’s Bicocca University, where he coordinates the degree course in Education Sciences. He regularly contributes to ‘Il Corriere della Sera’ and to the magazines ‘Le Scienze,’ ‘Micromega’ and ‘L’Indice dei libri’. He has written a number of scientific papers. Among his latest books are: Homo sapiens e altre catastrofi (Meltemi 2002); Introduzione alla filosofia della biologia (Laterza,2005); Creazione senza Dio (Einaudi 2006); La teoria dell’evoluzione (il Mulino 2006); In difesa di Darwin (Bompiani 2007); Sante Ragioni (Chiarelettere 2007, with C. Castellacci); Nati per credere (Codice Edizioni 2008, with V. Girotto, G. Vallortigara); Perché siamo parenti delle galline? E tante altre domande sull’evoluzione (Editoriale Scienza 2010, with F. Taddia); La vita inaspettata (Raffaello Cortina 2011).

Marc Augé, one of the world’s leading ethnologists and anthropologists, has been directeur d’études and chairman of EHESS, Paris’ School of Higher Studies in Social Science. His background is in African studies, but he has spent a long time researching in Latin America as well as in Paris and in other regions of France. Augé is well known for introducing the notion of non-places. Many of his books are published in Italian. They include: Nonluoghi (2009), Che fine ha fatto il futuro? (2009), Un etnologo nel métro (2010), Ville e tenute (2011), all published by elèuthera; Disneyland e altri nonluoghi (1999); Il senso degli altri. Attualità dell’antropologia (2000); Finzioni di fine secolo (2001); Diario di guerra (2002); Rovine e macerie. Il senso del tempo (2004); Il mestiere dell’antropologo (2007); Genio del paganesimo (2008); Il bello della bicicletta (2009); Straniero a me stesso. Tutte le mie vite di etnologo (2011), all published by Bollati Boringhieri.

Gustavo Pietropolli Charmet, is a psychotherapist with a background in psychoanalysis and a specialization in psychiatry. He has headed psychiatry hospital divisions, has been director of the School of Specialization in Psychology of the Life Cycle, and is professor of Dynamic Psychology at Milan’s Bicocca University. He is president of the Istituto Minotauro, of the CAF-Onlus, director of the A.R.P.Ad-Minotauro School of Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy, and head of Milan’s Crisis Center. Following are some of his books published by Franco Angeli: Ragazzi sregolati (2001), Crisis center (2003), Manuale di psicologia dell’adolescenza: compiti e conflitti (with A. Maggiolini, 2004). Mondadori published his 2006 book Non è colpa delle mamme; Laterza published in 2008 Fragile e spavaldo. Ritratto dell’adolescente di oggi; his 2009 book Uccidersi, written with A. Piotti, was published by Raffaello Cortina.

Franco La Cecla, anthropologist and urban planner, has taught Cultural Anthropology at the Universities of Venice, Verona, Palermo, Milan, Barcelona and Lausanne. He has been Visiting professor at the EHESS, Paris’ School of Higher Studies in Social Science. He has been a consultant to the Renzo Piano Building Workshop and to Barcelona Regional. He has founded the agency ASIA-Architecture Social Impact Assessment for the evaluation of the social impact of architectural works and urban planning. La Cecla has authored a number of documentaries on Italian emigration; one of those, In altro mare, has won the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival in 2010. He has also worked at designing festivals and organizing exhibitions. He is a regular contributes the newsdailies ‘La Repubblica,’ ‘Avvenire,’ and ‘Il Sole-24 Ore.’ His books include: Mente locale (1993), Saperci fare (2009), Modi bruschi (2010), all published by elèuthera. Also, Perdersi (Laterza 2005); Surrogati di presenza (B. Mondadori 2006); Contro l'Architettura (Bollati Boringhieri 2008); Lasciami (Ponte alle Grazie 2009); Il punto G dell’uomo. Desiderio al maschile (Nottetempo 2011).

Stefanie Knauss has a background in Catholic Theology and English studies at the universities of Freiburg and Graz and is currently a researcher with the B. Kessler Foundation in Trent. Her main research interests are religions and the body, gender studies, and aesthetic theology. She is a member of the steering council of the Italian Women Theologians Network. She has edited L'enigma corporeità: sessualità e religione with A. Autiero (EDB 2010). Her new book published by Effatà, La saggia inquietudine: Il corpo nell'ebraismo, nel cristianesimo e nell'islam, is in print. 

Vito Mancuso is professor of Modern and Contemporary Theology at Milan’s Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. He regularly contributes editorials to ‘La Repubblica’ and directs the ‘Campo dei Fiori’ series for Fazi Publishers, Rome. He has authored many books: Il dolore innocente (2002), Per amore (2005), Disputa su Dio e dintorni (2009, with C. Augias) were published by Mondadori; L’anima e il suo destino (2007) and La vita autentica (2009) by Raffaello Cortina. He contributed with others to the book Che cosa vuol dire morire (Einaudi 2010).