Author : Silvana Patriarca
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521761017
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (61 download)
Book Synopsis Italian Vices by : Silvana Patriarca
Download or read book Italian Vices written by Silvana Patriarca and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-01-21 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do Italians believe that they have a national character and that this character is a major reason for their political woes? Why is their self-image so frequently derogatory? In this meticulous study of the role of national character in Italian political and social discourse, Silvana Patriarca reconstructs the genealogy of a pervasive idea in the culture of modern Italy. Using sources ranging from political pamphlets to newspapers and films, this book shows how self-representations of national character and its vices were shaped by foreign perceptions and stereotypes, internal political struggles, and changing intellectual paradigms. Investigating the politics of these representations, their ideological content, and their uses, the author recasts the study of Italian patriotism and nationalism as discourses and sheds light on Italian political culture and on the rhetoric of nationalism more generally.