Ernesto de Martino e Raffaele Pettazzoni: due metodologie a confronto

The essay explores the relationship between Ernesto de Martino’s “heroic historicism” and Raffaele Pettazzoni’s historical-religious approach, examining their intersections, innovations, and impact on the history of Italian anthropological studies and the history of religions. The encounter between de Martino’s perspective—centered on a “metadisciplinary” method and on culture as a response to existential crisis and the threat of losing one’s presence—and Pettazzoni’s historicist viewpoint—grounded in a comparative and historicized interpretation of religious phenomena—represents a fruitful intellectual synergy. Both scholars share a methodological vision aimed at understanding the deeper meaning of cultural and religious practices through historicization. This dialogue still offers a critical perspective for contemporary scholarship, highlighting the enduring relevance of the historical dimension in the analysis of religious and cultural phenomena.