Il signor Smith e l'ornitorinco

This long introductory essay (“Mr. Smith and the Platypus”) accompanies the first Italian edition of a collection of essays by American historian of religions Jonathan Z. Smith (1938–2017). A towering figure in the contemporary landscape of religious studies, Smith’s multifaceted and provocative work initiated what is now seen as an epistemological revolution in the field. The introduction offers Italian readers a comprehensive exploration of Smith’s biographical and intellectual profile, alongside an in-depth discussion of the central themes of his critical thought. It focuses in particular on the foundational operations of the “Smithian laboratory” – defining and classifying; comparing; rectifying, redescribing, and translating – examining their theoretical underpinnings and methodological implications.