The Legacy of the Italian Resistance (Italian and Italian American Studies)

In this rich and detailed interdisciplinary study, Philip Cooke explores the enduring and contested legacy of the Italian Resistance movement. This book scrutinizes the ambivalent and shifting attitudes toward the movement held by the major Italian political parties and the State, caught up as they were in an ambitious project to build a new nation out of the ruins of Fascism and the Second World War. Using a wide array of texts, Cooke bridges the gap between historical and cultural studies and shows how Italian politics, history, and culture have interacted over the long term. Fusing historical and cultural analysis, this is a unique contribution to our understanding of modern Italy. "This book adds to this growing body of scholarship on the Italian Resistance by analysing, for the first time, how the 'three wars' are represented over the broad spectrum of Resistance culture from 1945 to the present day. Furthermore, it makes this contribution to scholarship by bridging the gap between historical and cultural analysis. Whereas historians frequently use literary texts in their writings, they are often flawed by an insufficiently nuanced understanding of what a literary text is. Likewise, literary critics who have discussed writers such as Calvino and Vittorini, or films such Pais ̉and La notte di San Lorenzo, only refer in passing to the historical context in which these works were produced. By fusing historical and cultural analysis, author Philip Cooke makes a unique contribution to our understanding of a key period of Italian history and culture"-- Provided by publisher This book adds to this growing body of scholarship on the Italian Resistance by analysing, for the first time, how the'three wars'are represented over the broad spectrum of Resistance culture from 1945 to the present day. Furthermore, it makes this contribution to scholarship by bridging the gap between historical and cultural analysis. Whereas historians frequently use literary texts in their writings, they are often flawed by an insufficiently nuanced understanding of what a literary text is. Likewise, literary critics who have discussed writers such as Calvino and Vittorini, or films such Paisà and La notte di San Lorenzo, only refer in passing to the historical context in which these works were produced. By fusing historical and cultural analysis, author Philip Cooke makes a unique contribution to our understanding of a key period of Italian history and culture. Cover......Page 1 Titlepage......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Introduction......Page 14 1 1945– 1948......Page 22 2 1948– 1955......Page 52 3 1955– 1960......Page 80 4 From the Customshouse to the Pantheon: From the Pantheon to the Piazza: 1960– 1970......Page 96 5 1970– 1978......Page 126 6 1978– 1989......Page 140 7 From the End of the First Republic to the Cinquantennale: 1990– 1995......Page 162 8 The Resistance in the Years of the “Second Republic”......Page 186 Conclusion......Page 204 Notes......Page 208 References......Page 236 Index......Page 258