Beyond Rome : Brescia and the difficult heritage of Italian fascism
Journal article
Carter, Nick. (2023). Beyond Rome : Brescia and the difficult heritage of Italian fascism. Journal of Contemporary History. pp. 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220094231182444
Authors | Carter, Nick |
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Abstract | Physical reminders of Fascist rule in Italy can be found in virtually every Italian town and city. To date, though, studies of how Italians have dealt with this ‘difficult heritage’ have focused overwhelmingly on Rome, where Fascism’s copious remains are treated and admired as aesthetic objects, unmoored from their political–historical origins. Implied, assumed or articulated in these studies is the idea of Rome as an exemplar of the nation: that what is true of the capital is true of the country. In fact, the idea that Rome’s approach to its Fascist heritage is representative of Italy’s has yet to be properly tested.This article argues for the need to go ‘beyond Rome’ in order to gain a deeper, richer, and more nuanced understanding of the ways in which Italians have negotiated the difficult heritage of Fascism. Focusing on the provincial Lombard city of Brescia, the article reveals the complex interplay between time, place, use, memory, aesthetics, and politics in shaping how bresciani have negotiated three surviving ‘faces’ of Fascism: Marcello Piacentini’s monumental piazza della Vittoria; Arturo Dazzi’s colossal statue ‘L’Era Fascista’, popularly known as the ‘Bigio’; and Oscar Prati’s monument-ossuary to the fallen of the Great War. |
Keywords | fascism; Italy; difficult heritage; Brescia |
Year | 2023 |
Journal | Journal of Contemporary History |
Journal citation | pp. 1-27 |
Publisher | SAGE Publications |
ISSN | 0022-0094 |
1461-7250 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1177/00220094231182444 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-85166627840 |
Open access | Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access |
Page range | 1-27 |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Output status | In press |
Publication dates | |
Online | 30 Jul 2023 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 05 Oct 2023 |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8z708/beyond-rome-brescia-and-the-difficult-heritage-of-italian-fascism
Download files
Publisher's version
OA_Carter_2023_Beyond_Rome_Brescia_and_the_difficult.pdf | |
License: CC BY 4.0 | |
File access level: Open |
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