Philosophy of frontiers and identity’s construction:
the incontro with the other

The aim of my research project is to offer an alternative vision of one of modernity’s most pressing problems, which is embodied by the frontiers. Throughout history, this theme has always played a crucial role and, by the end of the XVIII century and the beginning of the XIX century has acquired new characteristics that are still present nowadays and mark a concrete separation from the ancient times. The problem of frontiers also includes the delicate question of personal identity, often threatened by the stasis of migrants in refugee camps around the world.

Despite the modern processes of globalization for a world without barriers, the movements of human crowds are still seen with fear and distrust. The diffidence has led to more frontiers and ghettoization of the migrant, whose psychic and physical condition is weakened in the blank spaces that are the western States’ frontiers.

To prevent the emotional distress related to this stateless condition, it is perhaps fundamental to discover the notion of “incontro” that is central to the therapeutic program of Franco Basaglia whose theoretical and practical work was elaborated in frontier territory.

Achille Zarlenga obtained his Ph.D. in 2021 at the University of Molise (Unimol) with a dissertation on Italian pragmatists. During the doctoral’s period, he studied in many archives (Florence, Luga-no, and New York), and in the academic year 2019, he was assistant to the chair in the philosophy of geopolitics at Unimol.

His main research topics are the history of philosophy, political philosophy, anthropology, and the philosophy of psychiatry and psychology. He is on the editorial board of philosophy’s Italian journals, published many articles in various journals, and has co-edited books with Italian academic publishers.