Politics and Mass Culture (304-0-20)

Instructors

Francescomaria Tedesco

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-435: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Course taught by Francescomaria Tedesco (Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Camerino and Distinguished Fulbright Chair in Italian Studies)

Italian 304 Politics and Mass Culture: Mediterraneanism and Agency

The course will address two forms of Mediterraneanism (backwardness and redemption) from the perspective of social and political change. The subject will be approached by discussing the question of the political agency of subaltern individuals. The peasant uprisings for land in Southern Italy between the first and second half of the 20th century will be studied and will be related to the reading of these struggles by the left-wing parties of the time (the Italian Communist Party and Socialist Party). During the course, the theoretical assumptions of these political events will be discussed, analysing among other things the role of folklore, the question of political subjectivity, and the use of analogy in the study of the relationship between Western revolutions and those on the European and African shores of the Mediterranean.

Class Materials (Required)

All materials will be uploaded to Canvas

Class Notes

Course will be taught in English.