research paper topics on italian culture

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IT6: Topics in Modern Italian Culture

• Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics
• IT7: Dante and the culture of his age
• IT8: Italian Literature, Thought, and Culture, 1500-1650
• IT9: Text and Image
• IT10: The Language of Italy

This paper is available for the academic year 2024-25.

This paper allows you to study a wide range of different texts and topics from within Italian culture of the modern era, broadly stretching from the early 20th century to the present day. It focuses on texts of different kinds (novels, drama, short stories, poetry), works in different media (written texts, film, photography, visual arts), and different modes of cultural enquiry (literary criticism and theory, intellectual and cultural history, cultural sociology and philosophy), to give you a rich sense of the variety and complexity of modern Italian culture and history. There are no compulsory texts or topics: you will select four of the topics on offer in any one year and study each in a combination of lectures / seminars and supervisions.

• Topic 1: ' Fondata sul lavoro': Labour Narratives in Post-war Italy

Topic 2: Colonial, Anticolonial and Postcolonial Italy

• Topic 3 : Italian Photo-texts after 1945 (cross-listed with IT9)
• Topic 4:  Rome in Italian Cinema
• Topic 5:  Fascism and Culture
• Topic 6:  Pasolini Between Text, Image and Art  (cross-listed with IT9)

Topic 1:  'Fondata sul lavoro': Labour Narratives in Post-war Italy

The first article of the Italian Constitution states that ‘Italy is a democratic republic, founded on labour’. This is revelatory of the centrality of questions of labour and work in Italian culture in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond. As part of this module, we will see how literature and film have been two of the media through which questions of labour and work have been problematised, explored in their harsh contradictions and interrogated most acutely. We will look at how writers and film directors have engaged, directly or indirectly, with these aspects from the second half of the 20th century to the present, across different media, genres and aesthetics and through the use of a variety of techniques and tropes.  

See Moodle for reading and viewing list.

This topic explores different forms of cultural engagement with the Italian colonial, anticolonial and postcolonial experiences, looking at texts and films produced from the early twentieth century to the present. The early colonial propaganda, the problematic memory – and amnesia or aphasia – of the Italian colonial experience and the forms of anticolonial and postcolonial commitment that have characterised the past 60 years will be considered through a constellation of materials ranging from novels to pamphlets, to political cinema and art.

Topic 3: Italian Photo-texts after 1945 (cross-listed with IT9)

For further details, see IT9 webpage and Moodle

Topic 4: Rome in Italian Cinema

This topic will examine some of the most important films in Italian cinema from the perspective of the representation of the city of Rome, as the site of cinema, of modernity and migration, of socio-political protest, of Italian national identity or simply as autobiography. Films studied will include: R. Rossellini, Roma città aperta (1945); V. De Sica, Ladri di biciclette (1948); Steno, Un americano a Roma (1954); F. Fellini, La dolce vita (1960), Roma (1970); P. P. Pasolini, Accattone (1961), Mamma Roma (1962); M. Antonioni, L’eclisse (1963); N. Moretti, Caro diario (1993); G. Rosi, Sacro GRA (2013)

See Moodle for reading list.

Topic 5: Fascism and Culture

This topic will examine the web of relations between the Fascist regime in Italy, through its two decades and more of rule in Italy (1922-1943/5), and the fields of culture, from literature, cinema, theatre and art to the ‘public’ culture of architecture and the institutions of cultural promotion and control. Study will include Fascist culture in mainland Italy and Italian colonial and occupied territories. Emphasis will be on the two-way traffic between state and culture (and individual artists), rather than on simplistic models of state control. We will work through a combination of study of historical material and of cultural texts and artefacts.

Topic 6: Pasolini Between Text, Image and Art  (cross-listed with IT9)

For further details, see IT9 webpage and Moodle 

In addition to familiarising yourself with the primary texts for each topic you are interested in, you should consult the following for general background:

• P. Bondanella, ed., The Italian Cinema Book (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014)
• C. Burdett and L. Polezzi, eds, Transnational Italian Studies (Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 2020)
• C. Duggan,  A Concise History of Italy, 2nd edition (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2014)
• D. Forgacs and R. Lumley, eds, Italian Cultural Studies: An Introduction (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996)
• P. Ginsborg, A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics, 1943–1988 (London: Penguin, 1990)
• R. Gordon, Introduction to 20th-Century Italian Literature. A Difficult Modernity  (London: Duckworth, 2005)
• P. Hainsworth and D. Robey, eds, Oxford Companion to Italian Literature  (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2002)
• C. Lombardi-Diop and C. Romeo, eds, Postcolonial Italy: Challenging National Homogeneity (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012)
• S. Patriarca, Italian Vices: Nation and Character from the Risorgimento to the Republic (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010)

Each topic will usually be taught in a series of 4 lectures / seminars and 2 supervisions during MT and LT. You are expected to study four topics. There will be revision teaching in ET.

For the It.6 Moodle site, please see here . 

The paper will be assessed  either  by Examination  or  by Optional Dissertation.

  Examination

The examination for Part II scheduled papers such as IT6 will be a combination of two elements: 

-   a coursework essay, to be written between the end of Lent Term and the start of Easter term;

- a 3-hour timed online examination during which students have access to resources, during which you be required  either  to write two essays on two different topics  or  (for certain specified questions only) to write one longer essay.

Past exam papers will give a good indication of the kind of essay questions asked, but note that the format and rubric described here is different from previous years.

  Optional Dissertation

You will be required to submit a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic within the scope of IT6 based on your own research and reading. Candidates who are considering taking the exam by Optional Dissertation are invited to contact the Course Convenor at the start of MT to discuss your topic and supervisions arrangements.  Please note that topics of ODs are not restricted to the topics taught on IT6.

• Past papers
• Examiners' Reports

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Italian Culture Research Paper

Introduction, customs and traditions.

Italy has been considered by many people as the epicenter of human civilization. Located at the southern part of Europe, Italy has a rich history since ancient times.

Most of the western culture be it religion, science, education, philosophy or even art are attributed to Italy. It should be noted that unlike the ancient times, nowadays Italy has a mixture of people who have emigrated from various parts of the world. Besides music, arts and religion, Italy also boosts of a well performing economy and political structures which have far reaching effects to the rest of the world.

Italians like associating themselves with one another especially those who are related to them. Family ties are highly regarded in the Italian community and both sides of the family are accorded equal treatment. Traditionally, marriage was an arranged affair in the Italian culture though nowadays it is a free exercise.

Until quite recently, divorce was forbidden because marriage was taken to be a life long engagement. It is important to note though most of the Italians marry, there is the custom of children remaining unmarried so that they can take care for the old members of the family (Nickles, 2001). As far as inheritance is concerned, both male and female members of the family are allowed to get equal inheritance.

Traditionally, society allocated roles according to gender though this has changed of late due to civilization. However, the family still remains the basic unit of society and in most cases husbands head their families. The physical appearance of a person including the dressing style highly matters (Parasecoli, 2004). Consequently, Italians are customarily fashion conscious and to them first impression is very important.

Italians are known for their love in arts and their tradition has been rich in arts. The support that works of art has received from both public and private sectors have propelled the tradition to date. Italy’s arts include literature, music, fashion and design sculpture and theatre arts among others.

From the ancient times sculpture has dominated Italians’ work. The aspect was highly prevalent in the middle ages and most productions were religious in nature. It should be noted that artistic works of Italy have played a crucial role in influencing modern art (White, 2007). On the other hand Italy is also known for its influential literature both audio and written.

Written literature was done in Latin until the 13 th century when first Italian work was produced. Currently, Italy has a lot of writers in poetry, fiction and many other forms of literature (Nickles, 2001). It is important to note that music writing began in Italy, prompting Italian language to be used to date in explain how music should be played.

Italy is considered as the place where Roman Catholicism started as it spread all over the world. As a result, a majority of Italians are Roman Catholics. Therefore, the common religious beliefs in Italy are based on the teaching of Roman Catholic. As a matter of fact, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church are situated in Vatican City in Italy.

However, there are people who still maintain traditional beliefs in the evil eye, charms and messages through dreams (Parasecoli, 2004). The Roman Catholic has somehow separated its affairs from the state though it still has a vital role to play. Besides Roman Catholic, other religions like Islam and other Christian churches are also present (White, 2007). It is a general belief in Italy that after death there is life where the good people will be rewarded.

The language spoken by most natives of Italy is Italian and it is the official language of the country. Majority of the Italians are native speakers. However, there are dialects in few regions which are sometimes considered as different languages. The dialects include Friulian and Ladin in the north and Albanian and Croatian in the south. In addition, there are other parts where people speak different languages including German and Greek as their first languages (Killinger, 2005).

The current constitution of Italy came into effect in 1 st January 1948 after people voted to have a republic instead of a monarchy. As a result, Italy’s parliament consists of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The government has three branches; the executive, judiciary, and legislature.

The president is elected for a seven year term and must be less than 50 years old. The president then appoints a prime minister who should form a government (white, 2007). There is no post of the vice president in Italy and in the event that the president dies, elections will have to be held.

Italy has joined various organizations including North Atlantic Treaty Organization, European Union which it was the founder as well as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. It should be noted that the president is the commander of armed forces and has powers to dissolve parliament and call for new elections (Nickles, 2001).

Differences exist regarding the food that people eat in various regions and the mode of cooking. However, Pasta, soup, bread, and meat either white or red are common in all areas.

Spaghetti and pizza which are nowadays known world wide are traditional Italian foods. People of southern Italy are known to like heavy cooking compared to the northerners. It should be noted however that unlike the common argument that Italian food is more or less homogenous, there exists diversity in the types of foods eaten in Italy (Parasecoli, 2004).

Agriculture contributes a mere 4% to the gross national product. Agricultural products that are locally grown include wheat, vegetables, olives, grapes and fruits. However, the country imports dairy products as well as meat. Majorly, Italy is an industrial economy having shifted its focus from agriculture after the Second World War.

The main industries in the Italian economy include textile production, chemicals, cars, shipbuilding, iron and steel among others (White, 2007). Italians are known for their love of speed and they produce the world’s fastest cars though they have not ventured into mass production.

So far, Italy is among the richest economies in the world today both in terms of nominal gross domestic product and purchasing power parity. It is a member of the world’s eight most industrialized countries. It is also among the world’s largest importers and exporters either in goods or services.

It should also be noted that technologically Italy is advanced and invests a lot in science and technology as well as research and development (Killinger, 2005). Because of the high volumes of trade between Italy and the rest of the world, Italy is very influential in the global economy both as a producer and a consumer.

Killinger, C. L. (2005). Culture and Customers of Italy . Westport: Greenwood Publishing group.

Nickles, G. (2001). Italy: The Culture . New York: Crabtree Publishing Company.

Parasecoli, F (2004). Food Culture in Italy . Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group.

White, J. C. (2007). Italian Culture Lineages . Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

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IvyPanda. (2019, April 10). Italian Culture. https://ivypanda.com/essays/italian-culture/

"Italian Culture." IvyPanda , 10 Apr. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/italian-culture/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Italian Culture'. 10 April.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Italian Culture." April 10, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/italian-culture/.

1. IvyPanda . "Italian Culture." April 10, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/italian-culture/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Italian Culture." April 10, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/italian-culture/.

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