Numbers and Nationhood: Writing Statistics in Nineteenth-Century Italy (Cambridge Studies in Italian History and Culture)

Numbers and Nationhood, first published in 1996, explores the Italian inflection of a Europe-wide phenomenon in the nineteenth century: the rise of statistics as a mode of representation in society. Silvana Patriarca examines the ideologies which informed the copious statistical literature produced between the 1820s, when statistical publications began to proliferate in the Italian states, and the 1870s, when a unified Italy entered a fully positivistic era. Her innovative study illuminates the relationship between the needs of an emerging nation and the uses to which statistics were put, generating a long-lasting image of Italy which nevertheless accentuated its internal territorial divisions. By examining the power of numerical representations, Numbers and Nationhood provides a fresh reading of the historiography of Risorgimento Italy and of positivism, bringing to the fore issues of science, ideology, and representation. Numbers and Nationhood explores the rise of statistics as a mode of representation in Italian society during the nineteenth century. Silvana Patriarca examines the ideologies that informed numerical productions, and the role that statistics played in generating a national image of Italy that nevertheless accentuated its internal territorial divisions. This innovative study provides a fresh reading of the historiography of Risorgimento Italy, bringing issues of science, ideology and representation to the fore. Numbers and nationhood explores the Italian inflection of a Europe-wide phenomenon in the nineteenth century: the rise of statistics as a mode of representation of modern society. Silvana Patriarca examines the ideologies which informed the copious statistical literature produced between the 1820s, when statistical publications began to proliferate in the Italian states, and the 1870s, when a unified Italy entered a fully positivistic era. 1. Introduction -- 2. A Science For The Civilizing Of Nations -- 3. The Logics Of Statistical Description -- 4. Official Numbers -- 5. Patriotic Statistics -- 6. The Identity Of The Italians -- 7. A Map Of The New Nation -- 8. Center And Periphery -- 9. Epilogue -- Appendix. Numbers Of Statistical Publications. Silvana Patriarca. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 243-270) And Index. Numbers and Nationhood, first published in 1996, explores the role that statistics played in generating a national image of Italy in the nineteenth century. Silvana Patriarca's innovative study provides a fresh reading of Risorgimento Italy, bringing to the fore issues of science, ideology, and representation. When we think about modern states we often envision statistical aggregates.