CALL FOR PAPERS: THE RISORGIMENTO REVISITED. NEW YORK 11-12 APRIL 2008
Over the last fifteen years, scholarly interest in Italy's 'Risorgimento'
(c.1790-c.1870) has undergone a considerable revival. Informed by the
approach to 19th-century nationalism pioneered by Anderson, Hobsbawm and
others, as well as by the methodologies of the 'new cultural history', this
renewed interest in the Risorgimento has been constrained by neither.
Instead, historians of the Risorgimento have sought to ask new questions
about the formation of Italian national identity, and have reached new
conclusions about its origins, its discursive and political expressions,
and its appeal, limitations and long-term impact.
This international conference will be the first time that the leading
protagonists of the new research have been brought together outside Italy.
Its aim is to raise the profile of debates on the Risorgimento among a
broader public and to encourage the development of a comparative and/or
trans-national perspective on the formation of Italian national identity.
By considering the issue of how modern Italian identity was first conceived
and constructed politically, we would also expect to make a timely
contribution to current discussions about the role of patriotism and the
nature of nationalism in present-day Italy.
The conference will be held in New York at the Italian Academy of Columbia
University on 11-12 April 2008. We would especially welcome papers which
address the following themes:
Gender, family and sexuality
Exile and diaspora
War, militarism and Italy's 'enemies'
Religions and religious identity
Political emotions and the role of romanticism
The use of history
Those wishing to contribute to the conference are asked to submit a title,
a brief abstract of their proposed paper, and a statement of
academic/professional affiliation by April 30 2007 to Silvana Patriarca
([log in to unmask]) and Lucy Riall ([log in to unmask]).
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