Caso e metodo. Intervista a Carlo Ginzburg

The interview retraces the central role of anomalous cases in Carlo Ginzburg’s works, starting from his earliest investigations into witchcraft trials and the inquisitorial transcripts concerning the benandanti and the miller Menocchio. It also reflects on the relationship between microhistory and case studies, as well as the role of chance in historical research. It finally focuses on Carlo Ginzburg’s recent interest in casuistry as an historical phenomenon and his book Nondimanco (2018), devoted to Machiavelli and Pascal, along with the volume he edited, Historical Approach to Casuistry (2020), which focuses on casuistry as a cognitive tool for analyzing the relationship between exceptions and norms across various fields, from theology to law.