A political history of national citizenship and identity in Italy : 1861-1950

This book discusses national citizenship and __italianità__ at home and abroad, in its multi-faceted, contested, and often controversial form. The fascinating origins and complex evolution of Italian national citizenship come alive in the pages of this rich history. Covering the period from the unification of Italy in 1861 through the early years following the Second World War, Sabina Donati explores the civic history of female and male Italians in the peninsula, Italy's immigrants and emigrants, and the country's colonial and overseas native populations. Donati makes extensive use of archival research and delves into the policies, debates, and formal notions of Italian national citizenship. Her narrative aims to grasp the multi-faceted, evolving, and often contested vision(s) of italianità that have developed in historical perspective and are discussed here in relation to alienhood, racial thinking, migration, expansionism, and gender. As a pioneering modem history of Italian citizenship, this work highlights often-overlooked precedents, continuities, and discontinuities within and between liberal and fascist Ital(ies). Ultimately, it seeks to contribute to citizenship and identity studies by comparing Italy with other European countries, fully bringing out the specificity of the Italian case in relation to French, British, and German citizenship traditions. Book jacket His book examines the fascinating origins and the complex evolution of Italian national citizenship from the unification of Italy in 1861 until just after World War II. It does so by exploring the civic history of Italians in the peninsula, and of Italy's colonial and overseas native populations. Using little-known documentation, Sabina Donati delves into the policies, debates, and formal notions of Italian national citizenship with a view to grasping the multi-faceted, evolving, and often contested vision(s) of italianità. In her study, these disparate visions are brought into conversation with contemporary scholarship pertaining to alienhood, racial thinking, migration, expansionism, and gender. As the first English-language book on the modern history of Italian citizenship, this work highlights often-overlooked precedents, continuities, and discontinuities within and between liberal and fascist Italies. It invites the reader to compare the Italian experiences with other European ones, such as French, British, and German citizenship traditions -- Provided by Publisher This book examines the fascinating origins and the complex evolution of Italian national citizenship from the unification of Italy in 1861 until just after World War II. It does so by exploring the civic history of Italians in the peninsula, and of Italy's colonial and overseas native populations. Using little-known documentation, Sabina Donati delves into the policies, debates, and formal notions of Italian national citizenship with a view to grasping the multi-faceted, evolving, and often contested vision(s) of italianità. In her study, these disparate visions are brought into conversation with contemporary scholarship pertaining to alienhood, racial thinking, migration, expansionism, and gender. As the first English-language book on the modern history of Italian citizenship, this work highlights often-overlooked precedents, continuities, and discontinuities within and between liberal and fascist Italies. It invites the reader to compare the Italian experiences with other European ones, such as French, British, and German citizenship traditions. This book examines the historical origins and complex evolution of Italian national citizenship and identity from the political unification of monarchical Italy in 1861 to the first developments of republican Italy in 1950. Using the two metaphors of 'citizenship as a mirror' and 'citizenship as a pencil' for the historical analysis of nationhood, the book details the policies, debates and formal notions of Italian national citizenship to grasp and discuss the multi-faceted, evolving, and often contested visions of italianità This book discusses national citizenship and italianita at home and abroad, in its multi-faceted, contested, and often controversial form.