The Disunity of Italy: Deeds and Misdeeds of the Risorgimento Nicaso



The history of Italian Risorgimento is conditioned by rhetoric that has constructed a nation founded on a legendary past, based on the heroism and martyrdom of a minority of combatants who believed that they had a special mission to accomplish. Reality is different. In order to understand what really happened, a deep re-reading of historical facts is necessary. The course will focus on how the unification of the south with the north led to a civil war. We will explore how the victor effaced the memories of the vanquished and discover the true nature of the Risorgimento.



Required Texts: O Roma o morte di Arrigo Petacco, Mondadori, 2010- ISBN 978-88-04-60457-0, Il sangue del Sud di Giordano Bruno Guerri, Mondadori, 2010-ISBN 978-88-04-60330-6, Il Gattopardo di Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Felitrinelli (Universale economia), 2003, ISBN 880781028X.