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The meaning of monuments : Remembering Italo Balbo in Italy and the United States
Carter, Nick
Carter, Nick
Author
Abstract
This article examines the meaning of monuments in Italy and the United States (Chicago) dedicated to the Fascist gerarch Italo Balbo. A hugely popular personality in Fascist Italy, Balbo cemented his reputation in the early 1930s as the commander of mass-formation transatlantic flights to Brazil (1930-1) and the United States (1933). Chicago’s monuments – a road (Balbo Drive) and a column (the ‘Balbo monument’) – are a legacy of Balbo’s triumphant arrival in the city in 1933. Italy’s monuments date to the postwar and contemporary periods. The article examines why Balbo Drive and the Balbo monument in Chicago have become more controversial over time, especially in recent decades, and why, despite calls for their removal, both remain. It contrasts the Chicago case with the situation in Italy where since the 1990s Balbo has been commemorated in numerous forms.
Keywords
Italo Balbo, Chicago, monuments, Fascism, memory, critical toponymy
Date
2019
Type
Journal article
Journal
Modern Italy
Book
Volume
24
Issue
2
Page Range
219-235
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
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Files
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Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as green open access
License
File Access
Open
Controlled
Controlled