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

Forms of Citizenship: inclusion pressures and exclusion strategies in contemporary Italy's political and social life  

The course will tackle Italian contemporary history with regard to processes of political and social integration of subaltern classes. It will be organized as follows:

A first part to introduce and illustrate the concepts of citizenship, social and politica rights, participation within a national order. In a second and most substantial part different forms of participation to social life and political citizenship will be considered in relation to the different political orders Italy experienced from the foundation of the united Kingdom  to the end of the so-called "first" republic. Particularly significant moments of social moblisation will be considered to illustrate the changes occuring in the understanding of citizenship: from the first post-unitarian peasants revolts to the 'century's end crisis', form the coreographic use of participation under fascism to the opening of democratic forms of citizenship in the Italian Republic. A further aspect will focus on the impact of growing mass consumption until the end of the 1990s. All these topics will also be considered from a geder perspective.  

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).

b) Emanuela Scarpellini, L'Italia dei consumi: dalla Belle Epoque al nuovo millennio, Laterza, Roma 2008

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.

Pietro Costa, Cittadinanza, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2005

Anna Rossi-Doria, Diventare cittadine: il voto alle donne in Italia, Giunti, Firenze 1996

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

Angelo Ventrone, La cittadinanza repubblicana. Come cattolici e comunisti hanno costruito la democrazia italiana (1943-1948), Il mulino, Bologna 2008 (o altra edizione)

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

Andrea Rapini, Antifascismo e cittadinanza : giovani, identità e memorie nell'Italia repubblicana, BUP, Bologna 2005

Sandro Mezzadra, Agostino Petrillo (a cura di), I confini della globalizzazione : lavoro, culture, cittadinanza, Manifestolibri, Roma 2000

Vittorio Cotesta (a cura di), Le metamorfosi della sfera pubblica: giovani, cittadinanza e inclusione sociale in Italia, Liguori, Napoli 2007

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 E. Scarpellini, L'Italia dei consumi. 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).

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