CONTEMPORARY HISTORY II

This course is an introduction to contemporary history. Through thematic analyses, we will examine the ways in which humanity has conceived of itself, from Enlightenment universalism to the second half of the 20th century, at times dividing and/or uniting along national, linguistic, religious, gender and class lines. Particular attention will be paid to the following themes: liberalism, nations and nationalism, imperialism, racism and anti-semitism, world wars, fascism and totalitarianism, the Cold War and decolonisation.

The aim is to become familiar with the themes and problems of contemporary history on the one hand, and with historiographic interpretations and research methods on the other.
At the end of the course, students will be able to analyze problems and concepts related to contemporary history and argue their own thesis in different contexts.

Knowledge of the general outlines of modern and contemporary history acquired during high school.

Drawing on the universalism of the Enlightenment, this course aims to examine the historical processes through which, during the 19th and 20th centuries, specific groups—including women, slaves, colonised peoples and Jews—were relegated to a status of ‘diminished humanity’ or entirely excluded from the human community. The lectures will trace the transformations and continuities in the criteria for classifying humankind, following the fault lines drawn by cultural, national, gender and class boundaries. Two main themes will be interwoven. The first will concern major collective events (the French Revolution, nationalism, colonialism, the two world wars, the Holocaust) and their implications for the concept of "human". The second thread, interwoven with the first, will consider the reflections on this theme developed by literature, philosophy, and the social and natural sciences.
The aim is to understand how the dialectic between inclusion and exclusion has shaped modernity, alternating phases of unification with violent fragmentations of human identity.
The lectures will be recorded.

1) Per the general section:

Salvatore Lupo/Angelo Ventrone, L’età contemporanea, Mondadori Education, Milano, 2018.

2) 1 text of your choice for the 6 cfu and 2 of your choice for the 12 cfu (any edition):

Lynn Hunt, La forza dell'empatia: una storia dei diritti dell'uomo, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2018
Cemil Aydin, Il lungo Ottocento. Una storia politica internazionale, Torino, Einaudi, 2019
Eric J. Hobsbawm, Nazioni e nazionalismi. Programma, mito, realtà, Einaudi, Torino, 2002
George Fredrickson, Breve storia del razzismo. Teorie e pratiche della discriminazione razziale dal medioevo a oggi, Donzelli, 2016
Stéphane Audoin-Rouzeau, Annette Becker, La violenza, la crociata, il lutto. La Grande guerra e la storia del Novecento, Einaudi, Torino, 2002
Pier Giorgio Zunino, L'ideologia del fascismo. Miti, credenze, valori, il Mulino, Bologna, 1985
Angelo Tasca, Nascita e avvento del fascismo, Edizioni Pgreco, Roma, 2012
Hannah Arendt, Le origini del totalitarismo, Einaudi, Torino, 2009
Cristopher R. Browning, Uomini comuni. Polizia tedesca e "soluzione finale" in Polonia, Einaudi, Torino, 2004.
Claudio Pavone, Una guerra civile. Saggio sulla moralità nella Resistenza, Bollati Boringhieri, Milano, 2006
István Deák, L’Europa a processo. Collaborazionismo, resistenza e giustizia fra guerra e dopoguerra, il Mulino, Bologna, 2015
Michael Burleigh, La genesi del mondo contemporaneo. Il crollo degli imperi coloniali 1945-1965, Feltrinelli, Milano, 2014.

The final exam is a written evaluation (same for attending and non-attending students) with 4 open questions on the two chosen textbooks. Attendance is recommended to better cope with the final exam.To pass the exam, you must answer all questions.

written

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

Sufficient (18-22/30) is considered the exame in which the student is able to correctly summarize the course contents; good (22-26/30) is the exame in which the student shows a very good knowledge of the contents and contexts; excellent (27-30/30) the exame in which the student, in addition to thorough knowledge, demonstrates awareness of the interpretive aspects of historical research; excellent (30/30 cum laude), the evidence in which the student, in addition to knowledge of the interpretive and historiographical aspects, demonstrates critical thinking skills.

Lectures and discussion. Video and documentary films will also be used