Roman Routes in Italian Postcolonial Women Writers

Abstract

Rome is the city where the memory of Italian colonialism is more evident in the urban space. Nevertheless, this heritage is often neglected or forgotten, just like other traces of Italian colonialism in the national territory and culture. This period of Italian history has indeed never been properly elaborated by Italian culture and historiography, as critics have widely demonstrated. In this essay, traces of Italian colonialism in Rome will be investigated through the analysis of literary contributions produced over the last thirty years, and specifically of texts written by women writers, who proved to have a special perspective on colonialism and its effects on the capital. Novels, short stories, poems and autobiographies by Ubah Cristina Ali Farah, Shirin Ramzanali Fazel, Igiaba Scego and Ribka Sibhatu – and specifically the paths covered by their fictional characters in the urban space – will thus serve as guides to explore the city. The aim of the essay is to shed light on the present identity of Rome as a complex city and as the object of new narrations. From Stazione Termini to Quartiere Africano, passing through Piazza di Porta Capena, Piazzale Flaminio and other places, this essay remaps the urban space and questions Rome’s colonial heritage. As a result, it shows that displacing the traditional significance given to monuments, streets and squares in Rome means rediscussing Italian history and national identity.