C9988 - ANALISI DELLE DIMENSIONI DELL'ESTREMISMO POLITICO

Learning outcomes

By participating in one of the workshops offered by the social and civic competencies group, the student develops the knowledge and skills necessary for harmonious and productive coexistence. Upon completion of the workshop, the student will be able to draw upon social, civic, historical, and intercultural competencies to analyze the structures, phenomena, and mechanisms at work within the socio-political and legal spheres. They will have acquired the tools and knowledge to engage actively and consciously in public life. Furthermore, they will be equipped to critically interpret significant aspects of public and political life—at national and/or international levels—and will possess the tools and concepts needed to foster a reflective and participatory form of citizenship.

Course contents

The workshop will analyze episodes linked to conflict and political extremism through art and literature, as well as through their portrayal in cultural products such as films and documentaries. It will examine—from a sociological perspective and drawing on literature, journalism, and artistic representations—the social and cultural dimensions that gave rise to phenomena such as the "strategy of tension," the shaping of the extremist persona, counter-terrorism measures, the resurgence of extremism in Europe, and the threat posed by international terrorism.

Readings/Bibliography

First question (first and second lectures)
What was the "strategy of tension" in Italy?
The analysis will cover topics such as the origins and scope of the strategy of tension and its historical-social context—following the "Hot Autumn" and amidst the era of terrorism, widespread political violence, and the "Years of Lead." It will examine key events that marked its existence and shaped the Italian political and social landscape, its international repercussions, and theories regarding its continuation as presented in cinema and investigative journalism.

Second question (third and fourth lectures)
How do investigative journalism and cultural products—such as films, novels, and television series—demonstrate their utility and validity in reflecting on political violence and terrorism, including the period following the strategy of tension?

Third question (fifth and sixth lectures)
What are the structural and cultural factors involved in the radicalization process of political extremists?
Aspects that foster the construction of the political extremist’s identity will be examined, with particular reference to specific life stories recounted firsthand by direct witnesses or by scholars and magistrates.

Fourth question (seventh and eighth lectures)
Why do certain episodes of political violence fail to become shared cultural traumas?
The course will examine criminal and political events involving violence or terrorism, focusing particularly on strategies for preserving and commemorating their memory, as well as the reasons why some of these episodes have been forgotten or selectively deemed significant by only one segment of society.

Fifth question (ninth and tenth lectures)
In what sense is terrorism a matter that concerns historians and judges, but also sociologists?
The inquiry will examine the comparative approaches of the historian, the judge, and the sociologist in analyzing events linked to terrorism, violence, and political radicalization. While the historian reconstructs past events using archival documents and the judge issues a verdict, the sociologist emphasizes memory—both individual and collective—and investigates power dynamics and the roles of individual and collective actors during pivotal moments in past societies; by observing these societies as if they were contemporary, the sociologist seeks to identify patterns of regularity and discontinuity within the present.

Bibliography and Filmography:

First Research Question:
Bibliography:
Pier Paolo Pasolini, Il romanzo delle stragi, in Scritti corsari, Milano, Garzanti, 1975.
Mirco Dondi, L’eco del boato. La strategia della tensione in Italia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2022.
Valentine Lomellini, Il lodo Moro, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2022.
Filmography:
Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina (Marco Bellocchio, 1972);
Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto (Elio Petri, 1970).

Second Research Question:
Bibliography:
AA.VV. Terrorism, Italian style. Representation of Political Violence in Contemprary Italian Cinema, London, Igrs Books, 2012;
Miguel Gotor. L’omicidio di Piersanti Mattarella, Torino, Einaudi, 2025.
Filmography:
Documentario Magma. Mattarella, il delitto perfetto (Netflix)
Colpire al cuore (Gianni Amelio, 1982),
Romanzo di una strage (Marco Tullio Giordana, 2009);
Romanzo criminale (Michele Placido, 2005);
Servizio di Report (Sigfrido Ranucci, RAI, 2025)
La banalità del nero (Giampiero Mughini 1988);
Telefono giallo (Corrado Augias, 1988) puntata dedicata a Ustica;
Blu Notte (Carlo Lucarelli, RAI, 2008) Anni Settanta, gli anni della violenza;
Diciassettesima puntata de La notte della Repubblica (Sergio Zavoli, RaiPlay, 1990).

Third Research Question:
Bibliography:
Giulio Salierno, Autobiografia di un picchiatore fascista, Roma, Minimum Fax, 2005;
Sergio Segio, Miccia Corta, Roma, Derive e Approdi, 2009;
Edoardo Albinati, La scuola cattolica, Milano, Rizzoli, 2016 (Estratti);
David Matza, Come si diventa devianti, Milano, Meltemi, 2019 (Estratti);
Alessandro Orsini, Anatomia delle Brigate Rosse, Soveria-Mannelli, Rubettino, 2010.
Filmography:
American History X (Tony Kaye, 1998);
La prima linea (Renato De Maria, 2009).

Fourth Research Question:
Bibliography:
Jeffrey C. Alexander, La costruzione del male. Dall’Olocausto all’11 settembre, Bologna, il Mulino, 2006 (Estratti);
Luca Mori e Lorenzo Migliorati La memoria difficile in Italia: trauma culturale e pratiche commemorative della Resistenza, in Sociologia italiana, n. 1, pp. 53-78;
Pino Casamassima, Hazet 36, Milano, Sperling e Kupfer, 2025 (Introduzione di Guido Salvini).
Filmography:
Maledetti vi amerò (Marco Tullio Giordana, 1980);
Pasolini, un delitto italiano (Marco Tullio Giordana, 1995).

Fifth research question:
Bibliography:
Liana Maria Daher, Processo collaborativo e processo interpretativo di costruzione narrativa per lo studio sociologico del terrorismo italiano: simmetrie e integrazioni, in. AA.VV. L’Italia del terrorismo: Partiti, istituzioni e società, Roma, Carocci, 2025, pp. 265-274;
Filmography:
Carlo Ginzburg, Il giudice e lo storico, Milano, Feltrinelli, 2006.
Buongiorno Notte (Marco Bellocchio, 2001) Il muro di gomma (Marco Risi, 1990).

Teaching methods

Lectures and practical sessions. Analysis of articles from the international press.

Assessment methods

Oral presentation of a short written essay (submitted at least five days prior to the exam date) on a topic of one's choice, based on one of the five research questions and the corresponding bibliography and filmography.

Teaching tools

Presentation and reading of data and information from newspapers and scientific reviews and journals related to the phenomenon.

Office hours

See the website of Luca Martignani