Dear colleagues,

Please find below the Call for Papers for the upcoming conference "18
April 1948: Italy between continuity and rupture" that I am organising
with Christopher Duggan and Richard Bosworth.

We would be very thankful if you could help us circulate the CFP. More
information will be soon made available on the conference website at:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/humanities/18April1948conference.htm

Kind regards,
Linda Risso

(On behalf of Prof. Richard Bosworth and Prof. Christopher Duggan)

  *   *   *   CALL FOR PAPERS   *   *   *

"18 April 1948: Italy between continuity and rupture"

18-19 April 2008
University of Reading and Italian Cultural Institute in London


After one of the fiercest electoral campaigns in the history of the
country and the mobilisation of all sectors of society and
international actors, the Christian Democrats and their allies gained
the majority of the votes at the elections of 18 April 1948, thus
officially inaugurating the history of the new Italian Republic.

The 1948 elections have traditionally been seen by scholars as a
watershed between war-time Italy and the return to 'normality'. The
end of the Resistance and the creation of new political institutions
opened the way to a new-found love for foreign literature, the
foundation of publishing houses, the cultural influence of the US and
the emergence of a young generation of artists, movie directors and
actors. At the same time, underlying continuities exerted a strong
impact on the cultural, historical and economic development of Italy.
The North/South divide, the backward economic structure, the
administrative centralisation, the legal tradition, the role of the
Catholic Church are only a few of the most notable examples of the
legacy of the pre-war time.

Through a multidisciplinary approach that brings together history,
politics, literature, legal studies and international relations, this
conference re-examines the significance of 18 April 1948. It assesses
in what ways the legacies of WWII, of the fascist regime and of
Liberal Italy have influenced the foundation of the new Italian
Republic and to what degree 1948 can be seen as a 'watershed in the
history of Italy'.


SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
The organisers welcome the submission of proposals and panels on any
aspect of Italian history and culture and which relate to the issues
highlighted above. Please send a 300-word proposal, including your
name and academic affiliation via email to Dr Linda Risso
([log in to unmask]) by Friday, 14 December 2007.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr Linda Risso
Lecturer in Modern European History
Room 160
Department of History
School of Humanities
University of Reading
Whiteknights
Reading - RG6 6AA
Telephone: 0118-378 7334
[log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~