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by Piero Garofalo (Author), Elizabeth Leake (Author), Dana Renga (Author)
This study offers a clear, concise introduction to the Fascist-era practice, know as confino, of exiling antifascist dissidents to parts of Italy far from the dissidents' homes, often on islands or in tiny inland villages. The book is organised in two sections. Part one provides a case study of the political colony on the island of Lipari and a historical overview of internal exile. Part two focuses on representations of confinement in literature and film. It examines the varieties of self-expression (e.g. memoirs, letters and literature) used by prisoners to describe their experiences, investigates how filmmakers interpret these events, places and people, and explores how film portrays the repression of homosexuality. A timely examination of the birthplace of European federalism, the book also contributes to our understanding of the legacy of confinement from both national and European perspectives.
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Internal exile in Fascist Italy offers a clear and concise introduction to confino, a form of imprisonment used during the Fascist ventennio that saw antifascist dissidents exiled to remote islands or tiny inland villages.
The book examines confino from a historical, political, social and cultural perspective, through both a broad overview and close analyses of particular cases and situations. The book is organised in two sections. Part one provides a case study of the political colony on the island of Lipari and a historical overview of internal exile. Part two focuses representations of confinement in literature and film. It examines the varieties of self-expression - memoirs, letters, and literature - used by prisoners to describe their experiences and investigates how filmmakers interpret these events, places, and people; particularly exploring how film portrays the repression of homosexuality. The act of confinement was a tool that allowed Mussolini to bypass the judiciary, and to targeted political dissidents, ethnic and religious minorities, and members of the gay community among others. This book seeks to contextualise a political practice that continues to find applications in twenty-first-century detention policies; and to enhance the understanding of how contemporary social discourse promotes political agendas rooted in issues - such as populism, anti-terrorism, nationalism and ethnocentrism - that are historically related to Fascism's suppression of dissidents Internal exile in Fascist Italy offers a coherent and accessible portrait of confino in its various manifestations. The authors argue that internal exile is not purely political: it possesses a cultural history that speaks to the present. Although directed towards students and specialists of Italian history, literature, film and culture, the study is accessible to those with a general interest in Fascism.Author Biography
Piero Garofalo is Professor of Italian Studies at the University of New Hampshire
Elizabeth Leake is Professor of Italian at Columbia University Dana Renga is Associate Professor of Italian at The Ohio State University
