Courses

What happened when the everyday life of the working classes became the subject of nineteenth-century novels and short stories? How have writers and filmmakers reproduced the language and expressed the worldview of subaltern groups? And how have they portrayed protests, riots, and revolutions? In the light of contemporary debates on populism and on the political role of the masses, this course examines representations of ‘the people’ in Italian literature and cinema, from the mid-nineteenth century up until the present day. We will explore issues such as the depiction of members of subaltern classes as objects of both idealization and fear; the race and gender paradigms that are at stake in such depictions; the political prominence of the masses during Fascism and in the decades following World War II; populism and immigration in contemporary Italy. We will also discuss the political impact of literature and cinema and how they have been used for consensus building.

The course will be taught in English. Readings and movies are available in English translation.