Italian sociology and european sociology

In this chapter we attempt to give an account of the influence of Italian social sciences on the European sociological debate. This is not an easy task while it is one that can be addressed from many different angles. A complete review of all the scholars and/or single contributions that have achieved international recognition was beyond our reach, as was also any systematic analysis of all the branches of sociology. We therefore decided to focus on those fields of research in which Italian sociological research has not only made important contributions but also helped to frame the European debate, giving rise to a recognizable Italian approach. These fields are first local development, social capital and governance and, second, welfare state, poverty and inequality. The chapter unfolds as follows. The first section discusses the late internationalization of Italian sociology as an effect of its late institutionalization as an academic discipline and the crucial role of EU research funds is stressed in giving Italian sociology more visibility since the 1980s. The next two sections show the state of the art in the two selected topic areas, taking two common features of Italian society as a launch pad: the centrality of the family and the socio-economic divide between North and South of Italy. In each case, we start from the characteristic elements of Italian society in explaining why they drew the attention of Italian and international scholars. We then proceed to outline the contributions of the leading scholars and the impact they have had on the European debate.