The Author presents the theoretical framework of the special issue on the fear of nature. The main goal of the essays in the special issue is reflecting on catastrophe and on its perception within the areas of contemporary human and social sciences; that is, revising the specific forms of the relationship between man, nature, society, as well as the relationship risk-fear-security, between society and government.

The Author traces the modern history of political concept of utopia from the publication of More’ Utopia. The historic-philosophical analysis shows that the opposition utopia vs realism and its transformations was central to develop the dialectic between reality and imagination, which is one of the axis of the western political Modernity. But, the epistemic and socio-political crisis of the XXth Century reveals the aporia and contradictions within this dialectic. However, in front of fear and angst ruling our present, the Author (...) shows that a possible way out of our crisis could be in starting up again this dialectic along giving birth to new forms of our political coexistence. (shrink)

In the latest decades, many studies have focused on the concepts of fear, risk, security as relevant elements for describing our contemporary world. The Author rethink the processes trough which particular features of social reality become security issues. Security is no longer viewed as referring naturally or unproblematically to the military security of the state. Rather, the goal becomes to understand how different and seemingly disconnected objects can become subject to the processes of “securization” which involves our democracies and the (...) managements of different risks which treath our societies. (shrink)

The Author presents the theoretical framework of this «Governare lapaura»’ issue on the Fear of Secession. Starting from the recent cases of the Brexit and the Catalonian referendum, the main goal of this issue is reflecting on the relationship between the political crisis of unitary State and the revival of secession.