A Theory of Political Poverty

Elia R.G. Pusterla is a postdoctoral researcher at the Free University of Bozen–Bolzano, where he leads a project in political philosophy that investigates the heuristic potential of postmodern thought in addressing the challenges posed by post-truth politics. He has previously held postdoctoral positions at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), the European Institute and the Centre for International Studies of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and the European University Institute (EUI). He also served as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Geneva and was a Visiting Researcher at LSE’s Department of International Relations. His research interests lie in political philosophy and political theory, with a particular focus on their application to international relations and European studies. He focuses on the concept of sovereignty and its entanglements with political ontology, engaging with authors from the continental tradition, including Derrida, Agamben, Arendt, Levinas, and Esposito. He is the author of ‘The Credibility of Sovereignty—The Political Fiction of a Concept’ (Springer, 2016) and several peer-reviewed articles. He currently serves as Associate Editor of the journal Political Research Exchange.

Francesca Pusterla Piccin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Free University of Bozen–Bolzano, where she has developed two research projects that focus on the European Union’s humanitarian aid and a narrative approach to aid research. Additionally, she serves as a Visiting Senior Fellow at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Previously, she held positions as a Visiting Researcher at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), a Teaching Assistant at the University of Geneva, and a Visiting Researcher at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. Her research interests primarily encompass humanitarian aid, development, and migration. Currently, she is examining the European Union’s narratives as persuasive stories and accounts that are crafted and deployed to convey its understanding of humanitarian aid and to influence beliefs, attitudes, and decisions related to humanitarian efforts at both national and international levels. She is the author of the monograph ‘The European Union and Humanitarian Crises—Patterns of Intervention’ (Routledge, 2015) and has published several peer-reviewed scientific articles.