28984 - Cultural History (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will be able to understand how cultural history contributes to connect historical studies to other human sciences according to a composite and multidisciplinary approach. Students will be engaged in a multidisciplinary environment (dealing with the early modern age), and will be encouraged to connect different fields, in order to make scientifically sound judgments in various areas (social and material history, the history of mentalities and communication, art history, literature and music, history knowledge and science, etc.). Moreover students will be able to identify the specific contribution that the historical sciences can bring to the knowledge and understanding of the evolution of the increasingly complex and globalized societies.

Course contents

On a methodical level, the course aims to follow a path of analysis of the public use of history

The program focuses on the history of some ideas - central guides in the analysis of the birth and development of political theologies starting from the vast literature on the public use of history; this theme will be analyzed in a diachronic sense starting from the examples of the classical age, in Athens and Rome and then focusing on the late ancient

After a brief medieval excursus we will focus on certain problems of the modern age with reference above all to the Spanish colonial empire, the so-called black legend, the iconographic description of miscegenation in Mexico (Ixmiquilpan frescoes) and of Inca royal marriages in Peru in addition to the post-Inca and Texcocan chronicles

We will also examine Russian historiography on the period of troubles In the contemporary era, the issues of post-fascist revisionism and the management of events linked to the Hutu - Tutsi conflict in Rwanda, Burundi and Kivu will be examined

 

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students will opt for 2 volumes among those indicated below

L. Canfora,Tucidide. L'oligarca imperfetto, Roma, Editori Riuniti, 1988; Id., Tucidide e l'impero. Presa di Melo, Roma-Bari, Laterza 2000; Id.,Tucidide e il colpo di Stato, Bologna Il Mulino, 2021; Id., Tucidide. La menzogna, la colpa, l'esilio, ; Id. Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2016; Id., La Storia falsa, Milano, Rizzoli, 2008; Id., La prima marcia su Roma, Laterza 2007; Id.,La Germania di Tacito da Engels al nazismo, Napoli, Liguori, 1979

Schmidt, Benjamin, Innocence Abroad. The Dutch Imagination and the New World, 1570-1670, Cambridge U.P. 2001; Sverker Arnoldsson, 'La Leyenda Negra: Estudios Sobre Sus Orígines,' Göteborgs Universitets Årsskrift, 66:3, 1960; Maura, Juan Francisco. "La hispanofobia a través de algunos textos de la conquista de América: de la propaganda política a la frivolidad académica". Bulletin of Spanish Studies 83. 2 (2006): 213-240;Maltby, William S., The Black Legend in England. Duke University Press, Durham, 1971

S. Gruzinski, L'aigle et la Sybille, Paris I.N. 1994; Id.,La guerre des images de Christophe Colomb à Blade Runner (1492-2019), Paris, Fayard, 1990; Id.,L'Amérique de la Découverte peinte par les Indiens du Mexique, Paris, Flammarion-UNESCO, 1991; Id., Visions indiennes, visions baroques. Les métissages de l'inconscient, Paris, PUF, 1992

I. Rossini, Il sangue dei vinti e il caso Vezzalini. Omissioni, distorsioni e uso pubblico della storia, in «Giornale di storia contemporanea», XI, 2, dicembre 2008; ead., L'uso Pubblico della Resistenza: il caso pansa tra vecchie e nuove polemiche, Academia 2024;G. De Luna,Tra storiografia e uso pubblico della storia, E-Review - Rivista degli Istituti Storici dell'Emilia Romagna in Rete; L'interventionnisme du Rwanda en République Démocratique du Congo: Hégémonie ou puissance prédatrice ? ,T. Kiyirembera, Editions L'Harmattan, 2024; P. Chretien, Combattre un génocide: Un historien face à l'extermination des Tutsi du Rwanda (1990-2024)C, Bord de l'Eau 2024;AA.VV., Le Rwanda ancien - le royaume nyiginya,KARTHALA, 2012

Non attending students, in addition to the two volumes,  could be also study 

- C. Ginzburg Storia notturna , Torino varie edizioni ;

- J. Snelling, Buddhism in Russia, new York ;

- Tran, Gods, Heroes and ancestors, Oxford

Teaching methods

Oral lessons and workshop

Students enrolled in the course as part of an Integrated Course (I.C.) must pass the examination of both parts on the same day (the final grade will be the arithmetic average of the marks obtained in the two parts)

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

This 6 CFU course can be chosen as a part of the 12 CFU Integrated Course “History of culture and systems thought (C.I.) (LM)". If the student has the Integrated Course (12 CFU) in his/her study plan, the final grade will result from the arithmetic average of the marks obtained in the two parts (“Cultural History" (1) (LM)" and “History of Ideas (1) (LM) “).

Oral examen or Write proof

The exam will be conducted orally and will assess the student's command of the material studied in the course. The student will be judged on his ability to summarise and critically discuss topics raised in the course, making use of the exam bibliography and the course tools provided.

The assessment will thus consider the student's:
- knowledge and understanding of the topics covered;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.

 

Teaching tools

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination

Office hours

See the website of Fabio Martelli