13724 - History of Contemporary Italy (1)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have achieved a general knowledge on Italian contemporary history and the main important historiographical interpretations on it. Students will be able to transmit the knowledge acquired by adopting the specific vocabulary and to master the historiographical debate. They will confident with the methodologies used by the research on social classes; will be able to comprehend fundamental aspects of mass culture and consumption phenomena. They will be aware of the linkages between the methodologies explained and the results.

Course contents

Spatial and social mobility in Italian national history. Development paths and watersheds

The course will deal with different kinds of mobility - spatial and social above all - affecting the history of the country since the building of the natioan state to recent times.

Lessons will be organized along the classical political partition of Italian nationa history, i.e. liberal, fascist, republican epochs, but particular attention will be drawned to the Italian society and the impact that economic, political and cultural factors exterted on trajectories of mobility. A gender perspective will also be adopted in relation to the cours's topic.

Most part of the course will consist of traditional lectures but some lessons will be devoted to the historical contextualization of documents or readings  - previously uploaded via internet - and to a discussion to be developed in class. 

Readings/Bibliography

Following books are mandatory bibliography for the preparation of the written exam:

a) One handbook to be chosen between following titles: Aurelio Lepre, Claudia Petraccone, Storia d'Italia dall'Unità a oggi, Bologna 2008 (vanno bene anche edizioni precedenti); Alberto De Bernardi, Luigi Ganapini, Storia d'Italia 1860-1995, Milano 1996 (non più in vendita ma reperibile in numerosissime biblioteche in tutta Italia).

Erasmus students can possibly substitute the Italian language handbook with: Jonathan Dunnage, Twentieth-century Italy : a social history, Routledge 2002

b) Corrado Bonifazi, L'Italia delle migrazioni, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013

Following titles are suggested for the praparation of a critical review. Students are asked to chose one text within the list. They may also chose other texts in accordance with the teacher.

Stefano Gallo, Senza attraversare le frontiere : le migrazioni interne dall'unità a oggi, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2012.

Stefano Gallo, Il Commissariato per le migrazioni e la colonizzazione interna (1930-1940). Per una storia della politica migratoria del fascismo, Editoriale umbra, Foligno 2015

Paolo Passaniti (a cura di), Lavoro e cittadinanza femminile: Anna Kuliscioff e la prima legge sul lavoro delle donne, F. Angeli, Milano 2016.

Annarita Buttafuoco, Questioni di cittadinanza: donne e diritti sociali nell'Italia liberale, Protagon, Siena 1997

De Clementi, Andreina, Il prezzo della Ricostruzione. L'emigrazione italiana nel secondo dopoguerra, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2010

Valerio Castronovo, L'Italia del miracolo economico, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2010

Anna Badino, Tutte a casa? Donne tra migrazione e lavoro nella Torino degli anni sessanta, Viella, Roma 2008

Anna Badino, Strade in salita. Figlie e figli dell'immigrazione meridionale al nord, Carocci, Roma 2012

Paolo Capuzzo (a cura di), Genere, generazione e consumi: l'Italia degli anni Sessanta, Carocci, Roma 2003

Enrica Asquer, Storia intima dei ceti medi. Una capitale e una provincia nell'Italia del miracolo economico, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2011.

Vittorio Vidotto, Italiani/e. Dal miracolo economico a oggi, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2005

Stefano Cavazza (a cura di), Consumi e politica nell'Italia repubblicana, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013.

Masimo Paci, Il mutamento della struttura sociale in Italia, Il mulino, Bologna 1992

Alberto De Bernardi, Un paese in bilico. L'Italia degli ultimi trent'anni, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2014

David Forgacs, Margini d'Italia. L'esclusione sociale dall'Unità a oggi, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2015

The listed books will be integrated with the lecture of articles and essays uploaded on the "materiali didattici" and discussed during the course.

 

 

 

Teaching methods

The teacher will hold lectures to illustrate some topic moments in contemporary Italian history and the principal historiographical approaches. The "materiale didattico" proposed to the students should be of support for their active participation in commenting and debating the readings (documents or articles). Audiovisual sources will also be utilized.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of two parts that will take place in two different moments:

a) a written exam to prove general knowledge of the Italian contemporary history (handbook) and the study of the book of C. Bonifazi, L'Italia delle migrazioni, Bologna 2013. The test will ask five open questions on the general part (handbook) and three open questions on the second book. It will last 90'.

b) a critical review of one book chosen from the list proposed. The review should be a critical summary of the book with regard to the subject, the methodological approach, the bibliography and sources employed, thesis argued by the author. Suggested lenght: 5-6 pages (c. 12,000 beatings including the whole text).

Not-attending students have to pass the written exam and to write a critical review on two selected books instead of one.

Teaching tools

Audiovisual sources, documentarie or films will be proposed to integrate some lessons.

Teaching materials such as articles or short essays will be provided by uploading in the "materiali didattici" linked to the course

Office hours

See the website of Marica Tolomelli