A Political History of National Citizenship and Identity in Italy, 1861-1950

By: Sabina Donati

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Synopsis: The fascinating origins and complex evolution of Italian national citizenship come alive in the pages of this rich history. Covering the period from the unification of Italy in 1861 through the early years following the Second World War, Sabina Donati explores the civic history of female and male Italians in the peninsula, Italy's immigrants and emigrants, and the country's colonial and overseas native populations. Donati makes extensive use of archival research and delves into the policies, debates, and formal notions of Italian national citizenship. Her narrative aims to grasp the multi-faceted, evolving, and often contested vision(s) of italianità that have developed in historical perspective and are discussed here in relation to alienhood, racial thinking, migration, expansionism, and gender. As a pioneering modem history of Italian citizenship, this work highlights often-overlooked precedents, continuities, and discontinuities within and between liberal and fascist Ital(ies). Ultimately, it seeks to contribute to citizenship and identity studies by comparing Italy with other European countries, fully bringing out the specificity of the Italian case in relation to French, British, and German citizenship traditions. Book jacket.