A Rereading of the Unification of Italy

The history of Italian Risorgimento has been shaped by rhetoric that depicts a nation founded on a legendary past. This legendary past is one of the heroism and martyrdom of a minority of combatants who believed that they had a singular mission to accomplish. In order to understand what really happened a deep re-reading of historical facts is necessary. The course will focus on how the unification of the South of Italy with the North led to a civil war. We will explore how the victor erased the memories of the vanquished and discover the true nature of the Risorgimento.

Required Text: Gigi Di Fiore, Controstoria dell’Unità d’Italia, Rizzoli, 2010, Formato Tascabile, ISBN: 978-88-17-04281-9