The Italian Anarchist Press in London: A Lens for Investigating a Transnational Movement

Abstract

Forced to take the path of exile by recurrent waves of government repression, the Italian anarchists spread their activities all over the word. A transnational network was established across continents and London represented one of its main nodes. Newspapers were fundamental in the construction and in the keeping of such a network, providing political, organizational and cultural exchanges among the anarchist colonies. Italian anarchists in London contributed greatly to this process with the publication of several influential newspapers and single issues. These publications provide a peculiar and fruitful perspective to investigate not only the experience of transnational political migration, but also major Italian historical events. This chapter provides an analysis of the newspapers published by the Italian anarchists in London: the mechanism of their production, the role they played in the construction of a transnational anarchist network, and the contribution that they gave to national and international debates.