Italian Families

Recent sociological analyses indicate that in Europe, family solidarity still remains strongest in Italy. The traditional, heterosexual Italian family proposed by the Italian Constitution has long offered positive benefits, as the wide-spread image of close-knit, multigenerational families suggests. However, since the legalization of abortion and divorce in the 1970s, a cascade of interrelated socioeconomic changes (from women’s independence, single-parent families, and same-sex relationships, to economic instability , ethnic and racial diversity, and civil unions) have propelled “the” Italian family into a critical phase of transformation. How did Italian families evolve from the early 20th century to the present? Informed by historical and social science analyses, modern and contemporary literature and film will provide the focus of our explorations.

Required Texts:
Giovanni Verga, Vita dei Campi (1880). Passarino Luigi, EPUB ibs.it, Amazon USA Kindle, Tascabile ibs.it;
Rosetta Loy, La parola ebreo (1997). Torino: Einaudi, 2006. EPUB ibs.it;
Natalia Ginzburg, Lessico famigliare (1963). Torino: Einaudi, 2014. (Amazon USA tascabile; Tascabile e e-book, ibs.it)
Elena Ferrante, L’amica geniale. Roma: Edizioni EO, 2011. Amazon USA Kindle e tascabile. Ibs.it e-book e tascabile.