Mobility of painters and red-figure production in southern Italy and Sicily: New data and research perspectives - Review to DENOYELLE, M., C. POUZADOUX, and F. ILVESTRELLI, eds. 2018. Mobilità dei pittori e identità delle produzioni. Ricerche sulla ceramica italiota 1. Cahiers du Centre Jean Bérard 25. Naples: Jean Bérard. Pp. 231. 135 figs. (79 in color). ISBN 978-2-918887-80-5

In the last three decades the notion of “mobility” has been a key issue in our understanding of some of the central historical processes at work in the ancient Mediterranean basin.A number of theoretical models, such as the “network theory,” or notions such as “connectivity” and “middleground,” are centered on mobility phenomena and emphasize the role of interactions between human groups in the development of social, political and economic processes. By their very nature, these interpretative models work with a dual perspective, one focused on wide-scale geographic phenomena and the other on the different local dynamics and their specific outcomes. A highly significant field of application for these theoretical approaches has been the “Greek colonization” phenomenon. The beginning of the postcolonial era led to a profound rethinking of this historical process. Previous notions, such as “Hellenization” or “acculturation,” have consequently been set aside; conversely, the active role of a variety of local populations in the formation process of new sociocultural and political realities has been emphasized.