Carlo Baghetti

My background

Since my early research, conducted as part of my Master’s thesis at Sapienza University of Rome, I have explored how literature portrays labor. Does art remain a critical reservoir, capable of interpreting the world beyond appearances and myths, or does it increasingly conform to dominant discourse?

A PhD thesis emerged as the ideal framework for this exploration, provided the subject was clearly defined. With funding from A*Midex (Aix-Marseille University’s "Initiatives of Excellence" program), I conducted a focused study on the Italian case (1994–2018). This research allowed me to establish the theoretical foundations of what I define as "labor narratives": a collection of artistic productions—literature, cinema, television series, and music—that crystallize diverse discourses on labor and disseminate them within the semiosphere.

After defending my thesis in 2019, I continued this work with a first postdoctoral fellowship at Casa de Velázquez, where I analyzed life narratives marked by precarity in Spain, expanding the Mediterranean mapping of labor narratives.

Subsequently, with support from the Institute for Creativity and Innovation at Aix-Marseille University (InCIAM), I spent two years studying the representation of emotions in literature, particularly those arising from increasingly precarious professional conditions.

Building on these experiences, I developed a European Research Council (ERC) project, supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR) through the "Access ERC" funding program, which I continue to work on today.

Since September 2024, I have served as a mission coordinator for PhD students and holders in the Faculty of Arts, Literature, Languages, and Human Sciences at Aix-Marseille University.

My vision of the role of ambassador

In Humanities and social sciences, the career opportunities for PhD holders in France remain primarily academic or within the national education system, despite the fact that they acquire substantial transferable skills, including: event organization and management, communication, complex project leadership, initiative, reasoned risk-taking and experimental approaches.

As a PhD Ambassador, I aim to raise awareness of these profiles and foster sustainable bridges between academic research and the socio-economic sector. Aix-Marseille University (AMU) has developed robust initiatives (transversal training, the Innovation Hub, Partnership and Business Relations units, CISAM) that effectively support student integration. The next step is to extend these efforts to PhDs, particularly in Humanities and social sciences. This will help establish a virtuous cycle that benefits the entire community.