Languages of Discrimination and Racism in Twentieth-Century Italy : Histories, Legacies and Practices

This volume represents one of the first extensive studies that investigates the persistence of questions of race and racism in Italy from the liberal age to the present, through colonialism, Fascism and post-war Italy. It adopts an interdisciplinary perspective to investigate the intertwining of the cultural, social, legislative and political dynamics of discrimination in Italy's past and present. Drawing upon the expertise of historians, political scientists, sociologists, scholars of literature and experts in cultural studies, the original essays collected in this volume show a remarkable continuity and the persistence of racism in the Italian cultural and political discourse, in society and in the representation of Others. They also speak of the shifting of practices of Othering from one group to another in different historical contexts. Marcella Simoni is Associate Professor of History and Institutions of Asia at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy and is also affiliated with New York University, Florence. Her research interests include Jews in Asia, civil society in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the history of medicine and public health, a focus on history, memory and trauma, cinema in the Middle East. Davide Lombardo is Lecturer in History and Liberal Studies at New York University, Florence, Italy and also teaches Political Science at Kent State University Florence. His research focuses on European culture from the nineteenth to the twentieth centuries Contents Notes on Contributors Introduction: The Languages of Discrimination and Racism in Italy in the Twentieth Century: Mobilities, Migrations, Racisms Setting the Scene The Origins of This Volume The Agenda of This Volume A Bridge Between Historiography and Other Disciplines The Fieldwork of Sociologists and Anthropologists Organization of This Volume References How a Colonial Subject Became an Italian Citizen: The Life and Naturalization of Sengal Workneh Between Colonial Eritrea and Italy (1880–1929) Citizenship and Naturalization in Colonial Eritrea Sengal Workneh: The Stages of His Life From Subject to Citizen Conclusions References “Leave It for Dogs and Horses”: Italy’s Constitutional Debate on Stirpe and Razza (1946–1947) A Changing National Framework and the Peace Treaty Advices and Debates: From the Forti Commission to the Commission of the 75 The UCII’s “Subdued Request” The Response to UCII’s “Remarks and Proposals” at the Constituent Assembly Conclusions References Short- and Long-Term Consequences of the Racial Laws and the Myth of the Good Italian The European Context of Anti-Jewish Persecution The Racial Legislation of Fascism and the Persecution of Jews in Italy (1938–1945): Steps and Stages The Reactions of the Jews: An Overview The Aftermath of World War II Conclusion References When Conflict Spills Over: Identities, Memories, Politics and Representations of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Italy—The 1960s The European Front The Turning Point of the Six Day War: The Press The General Union of Palestinian Students in Italy Young Italian Jews and the Six Day War Conclusions References Oral History Interviews: Between “Yellow” and “Red”: Stereotypes and Racial Discourses in 1950s Italian Narratives of Communist China The Orientalism of Progressive Intellectuals The Legacy of Prewar Colonial Discourse: Race, Nature, and History in Virgilio Lilli’s Travelogue Conclusions References Racism in Italy and the Italian-Chinese Minority Chinese Migrants and Their Enterprises in Italy: A Brief Overview Italian Perception of Chinese Residents: Ethnicization and Stereotypes Anti-Chinese Protests and Exclusionary Policies Second-Generation Chinese and the Initial Determinants of an Italian-Chinese Identity The Increasing Activism of the Italian-Chinese Community and the Responses of Italian Society Conclusion References Islamophobia: Gender and Racialisation of Religion New Grounds of Racialisation: Conflations of Culture Religion and Culture in the Construction of Islamophobia Racialising Feminism Muslim Women at the Crossroad of Conflations A to Do List, in Lieu of Conclusions References “Africa’s Delivery Room”: The Racialization of Italian Political Discourse on the 80th Anniversary of the Racial Laws The Language of Race: An Intersectional Approach The Language of Race: Italy 2018 The Empire of Africa Orientale Italiana and the Proof of Blood Race, Blood, and Citizenship: Jus Sanguinis Africa’s Delivery Room Racialisation and Exploitation of Women’s Body Conclusion References South of What? In Search of Italy’s Others The Genesis of a Duality The Biological Turn The Southern Question in the Republic Traumatic Encounters Migration as Ideological Tool: The Arrival of the Lega Nord Invented Traditions, Demographic Struggles and Changing Geographical Minds The Mediterranean as a Border and the Transformation of Italy’s South Between Violence and Civility: The New Liminality of Italy’s South Conclusions References The Italian White Burden: Anti-racism, Paternalism and Sexism in Italian Public Discourse The Context of the Analysis The White Saviour of White Fragility: The Iconisation of Carola Rackete Conclusion References Film “Double-Sided Sleights of Hand”: Race in the Mirror References Index