Italian Identity Research Articles

NATURE, LANDSCAPE AND IDENTITY IN SILIUS ITALICUS’ ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE AT THE TREBIA

Abstract This article deals with the fight between the river Trebia and Scipio the Elder in Silius Italicus’ Punica (4.525–703), notoriously based on the Homeric battle between Achilles and Scamander (Il. 21.1–382). By means of a close reading of the geographical details of Silius’ account, this article aims at highlighting the peculiar role given to the landscape in this episode. By intertwining well-established epic topoi and historiographical reflections, the poet imbues Italy's landscape with a profound ideological meaning. His depiction of the natural environment thematizes key issues relating to the Second Punic War, such as the disruptive effects of Hannibal's invasion on the bond between Italian communities, the problematic nature of shared Italian identity, and the contagious nature of rebellion.

National identity in Italian westerns and post-westerns

Since Schatz defined the western genre as America’s foundation ritual, several film critics have emphasized the role of the western as a foundational fiction. Interestingly enough, just like American westerns deal with American identity and its foundational myth, one can find westerns and post-westerns made in other countries that are also concerned with these countries’ national identities. This article analyses how spaghetti westerns set in the United States deal metaphorically with Italian identity and foundational myths, and how post-western films set in Italy approach similar topics more directly. The article considers several films, by directors like Pietro Germi, Sergio Sollima, Florestano Vancini or Pasquale Squitieri, from the perspective of transnational post-westerns in order to scrutinize the way they deal with the difficulties of integration of the North and the South of Italy and present different perspectives on the Italian foundational myth of Risorgimento.

Italia tra storia e storiografia. In cerca dell'identità nazionale

Starting from the fundamental studies of the historian Giuseppe Galasso and in the context of a close confrontation with the most experienced European historiography on these topics, the essay reconstructs some issues of the italian national identity through the different guidelines of the historiographical debate from the nineteenth century to today in a comparative and historical setting of european modernity. The centuries-old duration of the events related to the process of formation of the Italian identity, from the tradition of the Roman Empire to the Risorgimento and national independence, passing through the long domination of foreign powers, finally ended with the unification of the peninsula and the state-building in 1861. The most significant terms of the identity discourse are thus affirmed: territory and nation, whose underlying grounds, however, still struggle to find shared reasons for a unitary understanding of the national historical framework. In this respect the category of national identity starts its construction at the time of the Romantic ferments and remains intimately linked to those anthropological traits that would have provided to found in the mid-nineteenth century the community of Italians, finally rejoined under the frame of a new State. Not a single identity, therefore, but a multiplicity of references to the rich, centuries-old Italian cultural heritage, rethought in the light of a decisive season for national destinies.

OcchioPinocchio. Il Pinocchio apocrifo – e maledetto – di Francesco Nuti

Severely criticized almost unanimously at the time of its release, Francesco Nuti’s “OcchioPinocchio” (1994) represents a rare case of a “cursed” Italian film from the 1990s. It became notorious for its extremely costly and troubled production, whose release was delayed by a year, as well as for the massive flop that followed, so severe that it marked the decline of Nuti’s career and personal life, despite his previous success as a comedian and director. Twenty years after its release, perhaps it is time to reevaluate its worth, if not critically, then at least by scientifically identifying the prominent place it occupies within the myriad of cinematic adaptations of Collodi’s Pinocchio. Nuti’s film is indeed, not only in Italy but also in the international Pinocchio galaxy, the creator of an apocryphal Pinocchio: an adult yet somehow a child due to life’s circumstances, the son of a Geppetto who wants to make him a puppet, forced to flee through a land of toys that is the wildest and most inhospitable America, in love with a dark version of the fairy whom he ultimately helps. A disoriented Pinocchio made of flesh that must learn to discover itself, even timidly encountering sexuality, unable to lie and thus unsuitable for a world of deceitful adults (starting with his father); a Pinocchio thrown brutally into a world of violence, where he must fend for himself without help (no critique has dwelled on the fleeting yet essential moment when he crushes an insect with his shoe while uttering “Fuck you, cricket”, thereby affirming his solitude). Thus, “OcchioPinocchio” juggles various aspects of the Collodian discourse, both diegetically (up to the bad ending), and in terms of the physical and psychological construction of the character, who is hurled from Tuscany to the United States, embodying a specific form of Italian identity.

Transformation of the management system of «La Lega» political party in Italy after 2013

In today’s realities, right-wing parties across Europe are rapidly gaining strength, attracting the special attention of researchers. In the Italian context, the right-wing «League» party is of interest, which in almost 10 years has been able to turn from disparate movements into one of the flagships of the right-wing coalition. The question of the reasons for such popularity is relevant both for Italy and for the whole of Europe, since the «League» is part of the current government, and its rating remains at a high level. The purpose of the article is to trace the evolution of the party management system, the formation of which occurred in 2013. It seems appropriate to consider the process of its formation under the leadership of Umberto Bossi; to analyze the structure of the «League» and the results of the 2018 elections in order to understand how successful the changes made by Matteo Salvini were. Following the evolution of the «League», we can conclude that the transformation of the management system occurred in response to the crisis of 2012, which undermined the trust of the electorate and destroyed the main system links of the party itself. There was a need to change not only communication, but also the organizational structure. As a result, a vertical structure was rebuilt, where de facto power is concentrated in the hands of the Federal Secretary, the position occupied by Matteo Salvini. The strategy was adjusted, the rhetoric softened, the positioning of the party and party logos changed, which allowed expanding the former party base and electorate. At the same time, the «League» was able to preserve its historical roots: the protection of traditional values and Italian identity

The White Lotus TV Series Season 2: Deconstructing Italians Stereotypes

Modern mass media serve as both a "magic window" into the world and a "door" to new ideas. It is important to look at how the steady growth of media affects the way racial and cultural stereotypes are pushed forward. Stereotypes themselves can influence how people view facts and social events and one of many examples of stereotypes is Italian stereotypes. This study analyzes HBO's popular series, The White Lotus season two, employing Fairclough's model critical discourse analysis to deconstruct Italian stereotypes through the characters' portrayals. This study also examines the sociocultural aspect and physical appearances of the Italian characters portrayed by American television. The findings of this study show the physical portrayal of Italians mostly they have the same features and are known for their fashion sense and attention to appearance. Moreover, Italian characters are portrayed with speak loudly and having the urge to cause some disturbance. The last stereotype is quite expected but debatable, which is the portrayal of Italians being middle-class workers and mafia. This stereotype had some audience feeling disappointed and others pleased enough. Western films' mafia stereotypes could affect how people learn about the culture, and think all Italians are dangerous, poor, and do drugs. Mafias exist and should not define Italian identity, especially in mainstream media.

Giampaolo Pansa and his contribution to the collective memory of Italians

The article examines the contribution of the Italian journalist and historian Giampaolo Pansa to the Italian collective memory. The definition of the concept of "collective trauma", as well as "structural violence" is given. The work also deals with the consequences of the fascist regime on Italian identity, expressed in cultural trauma. A historiographical review of two books by J. Pansa, who made a great impression on the Italians, as he was the first to decide to tell about the mutual two-sided arbitrariness of winners and losers that took place in Italy during the civil War of 1943–1945. For a long time it was forbidden to talk about this conflict in Italy about what the traumatized consciousness did not allow to remember. The silence that Italy was struck by eventually played a bad role for the Italians. Having abruptly left the fascist worldview, having abruptly changed their identity from totalitarian to democratic, the Italians were afraid to work through this trauma, not wanting to remember the lynching and arbitrariness committed by many of those who were considered and rightfully considered heroes. Moreover, many families who were associated with fascism or simply adhered to these views were afraid to talk about them because of the risk of retaliation.

Multilingual and Multi-Generational Italian Identity in a Netflix Series: Subtitling Generazione 56k (2021) into English

This paper reports an investigation into the representation of “Italianness” in the recent Netflix Italian series Generazione 56k, which was exported to English-speaking countries. This series deals with characters from different generations and displays regional varieties. This qualitative study examined the macro- and micro-strategies used in the creation of English subtitles for the first season. The focus is on key functions of telecinematic discourse, i.e., characterisation, realism, and humour, realised through the use of (a) multilingualism in the broadest sense, including geographical dialects, and (b) multi-generational language (colloquialisms, “unconventional language”, particularly, teenage and youth language, and taboo). Findings reveal a tendency towards neutralisation strategies in the English subtitles. Even considering the constraints inherent in the subtitling mode, these strategies do not successfully represent “Italianness” with its local geographical diversity, and only partially convey the representation of multi-generational language, also affecting humour. The themes engaging millennials, however, are expressed and might be appreciated by an international audience. In the light of our analysis and conclusions, it may be interesting to understand whether younger generations, increasingly accustomed to “multilingualism” especially in Netflix programmes, would also envisage a different subtitling experience.

Contemporary Italian Women Artists of African Descent: A Transnational and Intersectional Approach to their Lives and Works

ABSTRACT This article considers the life and work of Afrodescendant Italian artists Iris Peynado, Nadia Kibout and Nadia Ali. Through my interviews with them and a critical analysis of their films, I underline the cultural value of their achievements and emphasize the discriminations that black women face in contemporary society and in the cinema industry. Racial, class and gender biases often are subjects of their filmmaking, and offer a critical site to reflect on the need for further social and political change. Their collective experience is seen in light of a transnational spatial and temporal continuity between black Italians and the diasporic communities around the world. A variety of nuanced cultural expressions makes it inaccurate to consider Italian Afrodescendant artists as a monolithic group of women having a single identity. In spite of societal biases, they are powerfully emerging as filmmakers, actresses, and activists. They contribute to our understanding that a true postcolonial approach requires a more fluid and flexible consideration of Italian identity as a transnational and multi-faceted expression of a fertile intersection of people of diverse genders, races, and religions.

Die bella figura – zur Pragmatik eines italienischen Schlüsselkonzepts

The concept of bella figura is so inherent to Italian culture that it represents the quintessence of Italian identity. Demonstrating a good self image is not only fundamental to social relations and affiliation, but constitutes a pragmatic knowledge presumed to be carried out in everyday interaction and reflected in (non)verbal communication. With the exception of tourist guides and lay comments on the internet, the concept of a bella figura (and its opposite brutta figura) has never been the subject of scientific research. Therefore, its nature will be studied from the perspective of current pragmatic theories, identifying it as impression management and relational work and discussing it in relation to face and (im)politeness. Complemented by a semantic study, the concept reveals an ambivalence between the aspiration to an aesthetic-emotional ideal and the execution of an ethical-moral principle. With reference to the cultural-historical development, it appears that the expressions fare bella/brutta figura serve as a means of evaluation, whereby, identified in communicative use, they are suitable as an important analytical tool that makes metapragmatics a useful research method.

The Un-‘Common Sense’ of National Identity: Luigi Molina, Trentini and the Fascist Italianisation Campaign in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol

This article employs the recently discovered memoir of Luigi Molina – the superintendent of schools in Italy's multilingual borderland of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol from 1923 to 1944 – to demonstrate the sizeable and problematic rift between purportedly ‘common-sense’ understandings of ‘Italian-ness’ (italianità) as they were manifested in Italy's newly annexed Alpine territory and in Rome. In particular, the author focuses on the state's treatment of the region's Italian speakers (trentini) in its attempts to ‘Italianise’ their German-speaking neighbours and solidify fascist control of Italy's northern border. Ultimately, Molina's recollections recount how Rome's struggles to articulate and implement clear and consistent criteria for Italianisation led to the weakening of regional officials’ moral authority, political support and ‘totalitarian’ façade. The simultaneously vague and critical project of Italianisation did not simply illuminate fascism's inability to inculcate an ‘Italian identity’ among Tyroleans, however; it also served to highlight fundamental difficulties in defining national identities in any nation-state.

Diana Glenn and Graham Tulloch (eds). Italian Identities

Diana Glenn and Graham Tulloch (eds). Italian Identities

Cultural Encounter, Race, and a Humanist Ideology of Empire in the Art of Trecento Venice

Cultural Encounter, Race, and a Humanist Ideology of Empire in the Art of Trecento Venice

Interrogating the Myths of Education: Dorothy Bryant'sElla Price's JournalandMiss Giardino

Interrogating the Myths of Education: Dorothy Bryant's<i>Ella Price's Journal</i>and<i>Miss Giardino</i>

Percorsi di un italiano all'estero: Robert Viscusi Replies to Rosemary Serra

<i>Percorsi di un italiano all'estero</i>: Robert Viscusi Replies to Rosemary Serra

The Game of the Italians: Football and Dual Identity in Argentina 1910-1935

"In 1934 Italy won the football World Cup with four Argentine-born players in their squad. Whilst this reflected Argentine footballing excellence during the era, it was also recognition of the close relationship between Italian and Argentine national identity born from mass immigration from Italy to Argentina at the turn of the twentieth century. Using the case study of football, this paper challenges existing assumptions surrounding national identity construction in Argentina that has largely neglected the role of dual identity amongst immigrant groups, and which has focused instead on assimilation and a discourse of the Argentine ‘melting pot’ in bringing these disparate elements into a national whole. In contrast to a concurrent narrative of nativizing Argentine football from British influence in the 1910s, this paper makes the case that it was the Italo-Argentine community that held influence in the sport, both at a playing and boardroom level over the next two decades. It will demonstrate how football afforded Italo-Argentine community the opportunity to celebrate both their Argentine and Italian identity through the example of Genoa’s 1923 tour to Argentina. Moreover, we examine how the reverse migration of footballers from Argentina to Italy from 1910 further complicated ideas of national identity. Keywords: Sport; Identity; Argentina; Migration; Ethnicity; Assimilation"

‘Now you are one of us’: Mafia fashion on-screen

This article examines the role popular media have played in disseminating images of mafia fashion. Through the representation of criminal apparel on-screen spectators are encouraged to identify with the societal transgressions of the mafioso, engendering an abiding fascination with mafia style. By looking at Italian and Italian American productions from early silent cinema through contemporary television crime series, menswear becomes a primary means of harnessing spectatorial desire and identification that embraces enduring associations that link southern Italian identity with criminality and style. In the analysis of these texts it becomes apparent how costuming communicates a series of semiotic properties that reflect the complex interplay of masculine identities in an environment based on violence, power and appearance.

Cinema and communication in the Montecatini Community

Though too often lately we’ve found ourselves watching films at home, instead of going to theatres, cinema in itself is a medium of fellowship, reminiscence and communication.Starting from these premises we, as a festival, wanted to create a different way to get to experience cinema and its values, without actually involving the cinematic experience. While immersed in a global experience (the pandemic) we started to look back again to the unique differences that make us part of all the smaller communities we are involved with and how this engagement is, and can be, told by films. Those thoughts got us looking for the stories of those that, brick after brick, have built the community and its beliefs, only to remember that a community is a living thing and it evolves with its members. This path led us to think of a project called “Italian Identities – Sories and memories of the communities” and he had some Tuscan high schools to join it.The project consists in getting the students to know better the cinematic media and how to use it in order to tell their story as part of their community. Some professional critics, scriptwriters and directors helped in the process of filming and editing and the final result was projected at the latest edition of the Montecatini International Short Film Festival, and will also have an international distribution. Cinema was again a medium of communication, fellowship and reminiscence, but it’s now seen from the other side of the camera.

Italian Jewish Identity and Zionism: From the Emancipation to Postwar Italy (1848–1948)

Abstract Throughout the centuries, Italian Jews have been both accepted by and outside of Italian society, and several forces and events have shaped their concept of Jewish identity and their approach toward Zionism, both of which have changed over time. Among these events, the Emancipation, the Racial Legislation Laws of 1938, and the Holocaust all played a crucial role in transforming the way Jews perceived and identified themselves with Judaism. This article aims to show the impact of these forces on Italian Jews after World War II in their perception of their own Jewish identity, as well as Italian identity and Zionism, and particularly the role played by the Jewish Palestinian soldiers in the reconstruction of the Italian Jewish communities and the rebirth of Jewish identity.

One Year of School and The Island

One Year of School and The Island