ITALST 242 - The Emergence of Black Italy

This course examines race in postcolonial Italy. Through literature, film, and postcolonial theory, students will assess the development of the Italian colonial mindset (1880s-1940s) in order to dismantle post-WWII narratives that attempted to subvert and deny Italian colonialism and its legacy. Students will critically evaluate the connections between Italy's colonial past, the Mediterranean migration crisis in the 1990s, and the contemporary Italian response to migrations. Students will listen to music, read novels, and engage with web content created by contemporary Afro-Italians whose artistic responses to racial discrimination invite a consideration of the crucial values that define Black Italy, and the underlying link between Italian colonialism and Mediterranean migrations.