93261 - Narrations of Political-Cultural Crises in the Contemporary Age

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will recognise the various kinds of source and criterion for historical interpretation of nation-building processes, tackling constitutional, political, economic and social issues including the structures and models of education. Their methodological approach will vary according to the timescale and size of area, and will adopt a comparative perspective. They will be able to explain nation-building processes using comparisons and linkages, recognising interrelations among phenomena and processes differing in nature and scale, and using relevant sources and concepts. They will have a critical methodological approach and apply theoretical models of interpretation to social and institutional processes, displaying independence of judgment.

Course contents

Moving from a global and long-term perspective, the class will tackle five main topics. These will be first introduced through conceptual clarification and historiographical references that build the analytical frame of the whole course. In short, it will unfold along following structure:

1. The concepts of nation and nationalism in history. Introduction and short excursus about concepts, historiographical debates and methodologies;

2. Atlantic and European entanglements: "national" revolutions and circulation of ideas, principles and practices (from the Glorious revolution to the American and French revolutions, to the independence processes in the Caribbean and in Latin America). Analysis of the social forces, the political subjects and the manifold political dynamics leading to the building of modern nation states. 

3. The European dimension of the "spring of nations": the role of exiles on the formation of transnational discourses; specific processes of nation building with regard to the Italian and the German cases.

4. From subjects to citizens: mechanics of inclusion in and exclusion from the body of the nation and the manifold hierarchies of citizenship: discriminant factors and processes of nationalization of the masses.

5. The "defence" of the greatness of a nation as a factor apt to legitimate power policies, national-imperialism and political "occupation" of the nation: the case of Italian and German fascisms.

6. Anticolonial nationalisms: Panafricanism, panasiatism and panislamism as an answer to growing globalization processes between the end of the 19th century and the first post-war period.

7. Nations and Europe: the reshaping of concepts and national self-representation in post-war (II) Europe. Debates and tendencies concerning visions of a European federation and constitutional patriotism.

8. The end of the Cold War and the revival of ethno-nationalism. From the Balkan to the African wars (i.e. Rwanda) and defensive reactions to the challenges of globalisation.

9. Populism, sovreignism, nationalism, patriotism: changes and re-appropriation of ambivalent semantic fields for the understanding of our present times. From "banal" to digital nationalism: the media and the reshaping of "imagined communities". 

Readings/Bibliography

1. Theories,  methodological approaches and historiographical debates:

Benedict Anderson, Comunità immaginate. Origini e fortuna dei nazionalismi, Bari-Roma: Laterza, 2018;

Berger Stefan, Chris Lorenz (eds.), The contested nation: ethnicity, class, religion and gender in national histories, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011

Florian Bieber, Debating nationalism: the global spread of nations, London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020;

Michael Billig, Nazionalismo banale, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino 2018;

Christopher L. Hill, National history and the world of nations: capital, state and the rhetoric of history in Japan, France and the United States, Durham (NC): Duke university press, 2008;

Eric Hobsbawm, Nazionalismo: lezioni per il 21. Secolo, a cura di Donald Sassoon, Milano: Rizzoli, 2021;

Elie Kedourie, Nazionalismo, a cura di A. Mingardi, Macerata, Liberilibri 2021 [1960];

Umut Ozkirimli, Theories of nationalism: a critical introduction, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2000;

Anthony D. Smith, Le origini culturali delle nazioni: gerarchia, alleanza, repubblica, Bologna: Il mulino, 2010;

Anthony D. Smith, Nations and nationalism in a global era,
Cambridge: Polity press, 1995;

Hans-Ulrich Wehler, Nazionalismo. Storia, forme, conseguenze, Torino: Bollati Boringhieri, 2002;

 

2. Studiea on specific subjects:

Andrea Avalli, Il mito della prima Italia. L'uso politico degli etruschi tra fascismo e dopoguerra, Roma, Viella 2024

Hakim Adi, Pan-Africanism: a history, London: Bloomsbury, 2018;

David Armitage, The declaration of independence. A global history, Cambridge, Mass.-London: Harvard University Press, 2007;

Alberto Mario Banti, Sublime madre nostra. La nazione italiana dal Risorgimento al fascismo, Roma-Bari: Laterza, 2011;

Raffaella Baritono, Elisabetta Vezzosi (a cura di), Oltre il secolo americano? Gli Stati Uniti prima e dopo l'11 settembre, Roma, Carocci 2011;

Christopher A. Bayly, Eugenio F. Biagini (eds.), Giuseppe Mazzini and the globalisation of democratic nationalism, 1830-1920, Oxford: Oxford university press, 2008;

Stefan Berger, Angela Smith (eds.), Nationalism, labour and ethnicity, 1870-1939, Manchester-New York 1999

Ida Blom, Karen Hagemann, Catherine Hall (eds.), Gendered nations. Nationalisms and gender order in the long nineteenth century, Oxford-New York: Berg, 2000;

John Breuilly, La formazione dello Stato nazionale tedesco, 1800-1871, Il mulino, Bologna 2004;

John Breuilly, Il nazionalismo e lo Stato, Bologna: Il mulino, 1995;

Rogers Brubaker, Cittadinanza e nazionalità in Francia e Germania, Bologna: Il mulino, 1997;

Rogers Brubaker, I nazionalismi nell'Europa contemporanea, Roma: Editori riuniti, 1998;

F. Bruni, Idee d’Italia. Da Napoleone al Quarantotto, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2021;

Marco Buttino e Giuseppe Rutto (a cura di), Nazionalismi e conflitti etnici nell'Europa orientale, Milano: Feltrinelli, 1997;

Marina Cattaruzza, (a cura di), Nazionalismi di frontiera. Identità contrapposte sull'Adriatico nordorientale: 1850-1950, Rubettino, Catanzaro 2003;

Marina Cepeda Fuentes, Sorelle d'Italia. Le donne che hanno fatto il Risorgimento, Torino, Blu, 2011;

Emilio Gentile, La Grande Italia. Il mito della nazione nel XX secolo, Roma-Bari, Laterza 2006;

J. Habermas, La costellazione postnazionale. Mercato globale, nazioni e democrazia, Milano, Feltrinelli 1999 (o edizioni successive);

Miroslav Hroch, Social preconditions of national revival in Europe: a comparative analysis of the social composition of patriotic groups among the smaller European nations, Cambridge: Cambridge University P., 1985;

Oliver Janz, Lutz Klinkhammer (cur.), La morte per la patria. La celebrazione dei caduti dal Risorgimento alla Repubblica, Roma: Donzelli, 2008

Rebecca E. Karl, Staging the world: Chinese nationalism at the turn of the twentieth century, Durham; London: Duke University Press, 2002;

Maurizio Isabella, Risorgimento in esilio. L'internazionale liberale e l'età delle rivoluzioni, Roma-Bari: Laterza, 2011;

Erez Manela, The Wilsonian moment: self-determination and the international origins of anticolonial nationalism, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007

Mark Mazower, The Balkans. A short history, New York, The Modern Library 2002;

Michael A. Morrison and Melinda Zook (eds.), Revolutionary currents: nation building in the transatlantic world, Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004;

George Mosse, La nazionalizzazione delle masse, Bologna: Il Mulino, 1989;

Elena Musiani (a cura di), Non solo rivoluzione. Modelli formativi e percorsi politici delle patriote italiane, Roma, Aracne, 2013;

Patrick Pasture, Johan Verberckmoes (eds.), Working-class internationalism and the appeal of national identity : historical debates and current perspectives, Oxford-New York 1998;

Roberta Pergher, Dalle Alpi all'Africa. La politica fascista per l'italianizzazione delle "nuove province" (1922-1943), Roma, Viella 2020;

James W. Peterson, J. Lubecki (eds.), Globalization, Nationalism and Imperialism. A new history of Eastern Europe, CEU Press, 2023;

Rolf Petri (a cura di), Balcani, Europa. Violenza, politica, memoria, Torino : Giappichelli, 2017;

Jeremy D. Popkin, A concise history of the Haitian revolution, Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012;

Lucy Riall, Garibaldi. L'invenzione di un eroe, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2007;

Federico Robbe, Vigor di vita. Il nazionalismo italiano e gli Stati Uniti (1898-1923), Roma, Viella 2018;

Paola S. Salvatori (a cura di), Il movimento nazionalista dalla guerra di Libia al fascismo (1911-1923), Roma: Viella, 2016

Marina A. Santoru, Politica coloniale e nazionalismo in Kenya : le donne e il movimento Mau Mau, Torino: L'harmattan Italia, 1996;

Ronald Grigor Suny, The revenge of the past. Nationalism, revolution, and the collapse of the Soviet Union,
Stanford UP 1993;

O. Ueberegger, All'ombra della guerra. Storia del Tirolo 1918-2020, Roma, Carocci 2020;

N. Yuval-Davis, Gender and Nation, London: SAGE 1997.

 

Teaching methods

The teacher will hold lectures to illustrate some major issues  related to national processes and the history of nationalism. The "materiale didattico" - see "Virtuale" platform - proposed to the students should be of support for their active participation in commenting and debating the readings (sources, articles or book chapters).

Assessment methods

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

For attendig students the exam consists of two parts, one written and one oral to be taken in two distinct moments.

The written exam (50% of the final grade) consists of two critique reviews of two books chosen among those listed in point 2 of the bibliography. Hereby students are asked to offer a critical summary of the books with regard to the subject, the methodological approach; arguments, thesis of the author; bibliography and sources employed. Details about the writing of the reviews will be uploaded on "Virtuale".

The oral exam (50% of the final grade) will focus on questions concerning two of the following books:

Eric Hobsbawm, Nazionalismo: lezioni per il 21. Secolo, a cura di Donald Sassoon, Milano: Rizzoli, 2021 (part I of the book only) 

Hans-Ulrich Wehler, Nazionalismo. Storia, forme, conseguenze, Torino: Bollati Boringhieri, 2002;

Benedict Anderson, Comunità immaginate. Origini e fortuna dei nazionalismi, Bari-Roma: Laterza, 2018 (or other editions).

Michael Billig, Nazionalismo banale, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino, 2018

Anne-Marie Thiesse, La creazione delle identità nazionali in Europa, Il Mulino, Bologna 2001

 

Not-attending students have to follow the same program and procedure, but  for the oral exam they will also prepare one source and two articles to be chosen among the teaching material uploaded on Virtuale. 

Procedure of the exam: students hatve to submit their reviews on the date of the dedicated call - appello esame consegna schede - and only thereafter they can take the oral exam by signing up on the call for oral exam (appello orale + verbalizzazione voto finale). In the same circumstance of the oral exam, the final grade will be registered. It will result out of the average from the two parts of the exam.

In particular, following aspects will be evaluated: ability in written and oral presentetatin, accuracy by the use of historical concepts and analytical categories, a correct mastery of the acquired knowlegde, the ability of critical thinking with regard to the topics dealt with. 

Both the written exam and the oral exam will test:

• the knowledge of the main turning points and more specific issues concerning the history of nationalism and of nation-building processes in modern and contemporary times;
• the correct use of categories and historical concepts dealt with in class; awareness of how to use sources connected to Italian labour history issues;
  
• writing and oral exposition skills, capability to sum up effectively and in logical organization arguments and interpretations; logical organization of the topics; use of an appropriate vocabulary.

For each of the criteria outlined above, the evalution will result from following assessment scale:

• Excellent (30 cum laude)
• Very Good (28-30)
• Good (25-27)
• Satisfactory (22-24)
• Sufficient (18-21)

Exam sessions are scheduled for the following months of the academic year:

April: pre-session (submission of the books' reviews)

May: one exam session for the written part; one exam session for the oral part of the exam;

June: one exam session for the written part; one exam session for the oral part of the exam;

July: one exam session for the written part; one exam session for the oral part of the exam.

Further six sessions (respectively three for the written part, three for the oral part of the exam) will be scheduled between the second half of September 2025 and January 2026.

Teaching tools

Audiovisual sources, documentarie or films will be proposed to integrate some lessons.

Teaching materials such as articles or short essays will be provided by uploading in the "materiali didattici" linked to the course

 

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: LINK

Office hours

See the website of Marica Tolomelli