“What shall we do with it now?” : The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and the difficult heritage of fascism

Journal article


Carter, Nick. (2020). “What shall we do with it now?” : The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and the difficult heritage of fascism. Australian Journal of Politics and History. 66(3), pp. 377-395. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajph.12696
AuthorsCarter, Nick
Abstract

This article uses the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana (PdCI) in the Rome suburb of EUR as a case study to explore how Italians have negotiated the “difficult heritage” of Fascism since 1945. Following Sharon Macdonald, the paper understands the term difficult heritage to refer to a historically significant past that remains materially visible through sites, buildings, artworks, monuments and other artefacts, but which is difficult to reconcile with “a positive, self‐affirming contemporary identity”. The paper employs a biographical approach to reveal and analyse the post‐Fascist “lives” of the PdCI, one of the most recognisable — and, in recent decades, most admired — examples of Fascist monumental architecture in Italy. With reference also to other examples of difficult Fascist heritage in Italy, and to sites associated with the difficult heritage of Nazism in Germany, the paper offers new insights into how Italy has confronted its Fascist past and places the Italian experience of difficult heritage within the broader international context.

Year2020
JournalAustralian Journal of Politics and History
Journal citation66 (3), pp. 377-395
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
ISSN1467-8497
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/ajph.12696
Open accessPublished as green open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range377-395
Author's accepted manuscript
File Access Level
Open
Publisher's version
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All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online04 Oct 2020
Publication process dates
Deposited26 Jan 2021
ARC Funded ResearchThis output has not been funded, wholly or partially, under the Australian Research Council Act 2001
Additional information

This record contains a peer reviewed version of the following article: Carter, N. (2020), “What Shall We Do With It Now?”: The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and the Difficult Heritage of Fascism. Aust J Politics Hist, 66: 377-395, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/ajph.12696. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.

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