Intervista ad Alessandro Cavalli - Interview with Alessandro Cavalli

Alessandro Cavalli is one of the best known Italian sociologists and former vice-President of the AIS (Italian Sociological Association). The interview takes in his formative years, and study and research experiences abroad, before addressing some of the main topics of his intellectual and professional career: his in-depth study of some of the classics of sociological thought – Max Weber, Werner Sombart, Georg Simmel, Norbert Elias and, more recently, Rainer Lepsius; his empirical studies of youth in Italy, and the living and working conditions of teachers; his comparative research on education systems of all levels and kinds, from elementary school to university, and on the territorial divide in economic development in Italy and Germany. We also asked Alessandro for an opinion on the current state of play of Italian sociology and the changes taking place, naturally including the process of professional certification established by ANVUR and the latest national evaluation of research products (VQR).