Violence in Italy’s Literary and Cultural History:
Origins & Consequences
From ancient philosophers — Heraclitus (“All
things come into being through strife”) —[1]
to Petrarch (“Sed sic sine lite atque offensione nil genuit natura parens”) and beyond, oftentimes people have believed
that nothing could occur without struggle and even war. The Judeo-Christian tradition presents, on the one hand, the
lex talionis (the eye-for-an-eye code of justice), counterpoised, on the other hand, by Christ’s injunction to love one’s enemies. And yet, even in the Gospels
one comes across such striking statements as “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10.34) and also, “The one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one” (Luke
22.36). Thus, from the beginning of humankind’s plurimillenary history up to the present time, violence, in all its manifestations, has accompanied and even guided human beings as much as, or likely
even more, than its opposite, peace. Even inanimate nature — the physical locus within which humans live — appears in all its frightening aspects (earthquakes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions, etc.) almost as often as in its benevolent and nurturing manifestations.
The question thus is: What is violence, which are its roots, and how can it be assessed? And should humans embrace it, seek to control it and overcome it, or should they allow to be overcome by it?
Last century, a wise man,
Mahatma
Gandhi, thus described the roots of violence, which he called “Blunders of the world that lead to violence”: “Wealth without work; pleasure without conscience; knowledge without character; commerce
without morality; science without humanity; worship without sacrifice; politic without principle.” Expanding this list, other wise people have added further blunders which lead to violence: “Rights
without responsibilities; disagreement without discussion;
technology without direction; connection without community; teaching without joy; learning without hope.”
I am inviting scholars of the humanities, dealing with Italy’s culture in its broadest sense, to engage
in the analysis of violence, its roots, and consequences and present their research at the AAIS Conference to be held at the University of Colorado, Boulder, March 26-29, 2015.
Interested scholars are asked to define their approach theoretically and ethically, analyze the roots
and consequences of any form of violence — whether it be physical, verbal, mental, or psychological — and point out its consequences. Theoretical essays, drawing from various sources, are most welcome. This research should seek to determine whether certain
forms of violence are acceptable, or, rather, all forms of violence are condemnable; scholars should also consider whether the only violence that may be advantageous to a certain extent, although always condemnable, is the one which is inflicted upon us and
which we bear for the benefit of others, as Christians believe that Christ did. Outside religious literature, Italy’s literary culture offers many examples of a non-violent life, for instance, in Boccaccio’s
Decameron, the exemplary life of Griselda (Dec. 10.10), who tolerates her husband’s cruelty and who, in so doing, procures happiness for the rest of her life for her wicked husband, her children, her father, and herself.
Interested authors should submit a 100-300 word synopsis of their research, outlining their theoretical
approach and their paper’s focus. With enough submissions, I would like to organize several sessions on this topic, which could become the focus of a possible volume of
Annali d’italianistica for its 2017 issue.
Please submit your proposal to Dino Cervigni ([log in to unmask])
no later than December 10, 2014.
Dino S. Cervigni
Professor of Italian, Emeritus
Editor, Annali d’Italianistica
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3170
Annali’s website: www.ibiblio.org/annali
Email: [log in to unmask]
[1]
“We must know that war (πόλεμος) is common to all and strife (ἔρις) is justice, and that all things come into being through strife necessarily.”