Once a caravan could have traveled (at least, ideally) from Farghana to Ghana, uniting Asia and Africa both in this rhyme and in fact, as happened with characters. A caravan is the flattering metaphor and the emblematic starting off point of this new journal, so enthusiastically wished for by the teachers of the four disciplines - Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Hindi Languages and Literatures, which are the pillars of the research and teaching of African and Asian cultures at the School of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Turin University. It would certainly be nearsighted (as well as inaccurate) to maintain that there was a need felt for a new scholarly periodical dedicated to all the contributions of Asian and African civilization within the scope of Italian higher education. There is no need to name the illustrious journals that are the pride of our studies in these fields. Nevertheless, it is equally indisputable that this journal could serve a useful function. Kervan is an on-line journal and for that reason it will be free from the restrictions of the availability of publishers, the cost of paper, and the relative uniformity of the number of the pages. Furthermore, on such a versatile platform, there is an almost unlimited opportunity to publish material that would be impossible or too expensive to reproduce in printed copies - films, audio material, and all kinds of photographs.

The only condition asked of contributors to Kervan (obviously, besides relevant topics) is scholarly depth, which will be guaranteed by our high-level scholarly committee. For everything else, contributors have total freedom of opinion and methodology. Precisely to underline our respect for the freedom of research, the journal does not require that contributors use standard transliterations because we maintain that everything that can be held to be methodologically appropriate and internally coherent has the right to full membership in the scholarly community.

The editorial board of Kervan is particularly happy that its project is connected with the School of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Turin University. This young Facoltà was founded only several years ago but it is already efficiently organized and open to providing services that answer the needs of today's world better and better. From its founding, the School has placed great faith in the academic disciplines treating Asia and Africa. It has acutely grasped how important for our society it is to promote the scholarly grounded and progressively broader understanding of the peoples and cultures of these two continents. (This insight is something that is not always shared by other institutions.) It is with a sense of justice, gratitude and sincere satisfaction that we would like to write down two names here on page one of issue number one. Paolo Bertinetti, the creator of the Facoltà, was its first dean. Without his tireless commitment Asia and Africa would still be sitting in the academic waiting room here in Turin. Liborio Termine is the happily presiding dean, who has continued to support this field with passionate conviction and dynamic availability.

We will not illude ourselves that our Kervan will be greeted like the caravan of , which we have wanted to place in the heading only because we thought it was good luck. We can wish only that our caravan will contribute to scholarly discourse with dignity and effectiveness and that it will be acknowledged as a serious and reliable instrument by our fellow scholars.

January 2005

ANNOUNCEMENT (January 2010)

The Kervan Journal – after a long delay (though no fault of the Editors!) – is being newly republished following the transfer of one of its directors from the University of Turin to the University “Kore” of Enna, Sicily. Michele Vallaro’s new change of work address, combined with other organizational responsibilities, and also – unfortunately – personal health issues, have impeded his communicating with the other scientific-sector directors for some time.
Hopefully having now overcome these obstacles, Kervan now returns under a new subtitle: “International Journal of Afro-Asiatic Studies edited by professors at the Universities of Turin and Enna”. As one can see, the “caravan” has been elongated, covering the two geographical extremes of the Italian peninsula and unifying one academic Institution – ennobled by its time-honored historical presence – with a dynamic, new University – the “Kore” of Enna – which is already strongly projected into a promising future. We the Editors wish the greatest success to this newly-established “caravan”.

THE SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS

Pinuccia Caracchi
Emanuele Ciccarella
Stefania Stafutti
Michele Vallaro