Habitus and embeddedness in the florentine literary field: The case of Alberto carocci (1926–1939)

Abstract

This article intends to show how the notion of embeddedness, a concept derived from network theory, can improve our understanding of how a journal’s reliance on regional and national intellectual networks impacts the journal’s performance. The study takes as test case Alberto Carocci’s editorship of Solaria. It also discusses – to a more limited extent – Giacomo Noventa (La riforma letteraria), and Berto Ricci (L’Universale). The study shows how uneven distribution of social capital (connections, links, etc.) across the members of the editorial board affects the journal’s embeddedness in existing networks. The article closes by arguing the need to focus on how journal editors develop their networks as a reaction to political pressure and in order to sustain competition in the marketplace.