La destra italiana e il colonialismo nei periodici illustrati (1947-1966)

The article aims to understand the path of colonial memory of the Italian Right in its neo-fascist and "apolitical" components. After the Peace Treaty of 1947 and the loss of the colonies (Somalia was ruled by an Italian Trusteeship Administration between 1950 and 1960), the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement reclaimed insistently the return of overseas territories. Then, in the Fifties, colonial memory became a recurring issue in large circulation weekly magazines such as «Oggi», «Gente» and «Epoca», related to the moderate Right. These magazines strengthened the myth of "Italians as a good people", especially regarding the fascist Ethiopia. Only in the mid-Sixties, thanks to the first scientific studies, that myth was undermined. Therefore a continuity between neo-fascist message and widespread magazines existed: the latter were certainly less racist, but equally involved in the spreading a stereotyped and positive vision of Italian civilization. But it was a false narration functional to contemporary political interests, in fact it didn’t stand the test of time.;

Keywords:Colonialism, neo-fascism, Italian Right, popular magazines, decolonization, colonial crimes

Federico Robbe, La destra italiana e il colonialismo nei periodici illustrati (1947-1966) in "MEMORIA E RICERCA " 50/2015, pp 139-159, DOI: 10.3280/MER2015-050009