Italy and the Bourgeoisie: The Re-Thinking of a Class

Italian bourgeoisie appears to be living through a period of self-evaluation. This collection examines what is 'essentially Italian' in the development of the bourgeoisie as a class, starting with Benedetto Croce's 1931 famous essay on bourgeoisie and moving on to the analysis of the role of the individual in post-unification Italy. Members of the bourgeoisie were Italy's ruling class while the country underwent drastic political, economic, and social transformations during major historical eras and events, such as the two World Wars, the Fascist ventennio, the colonial enterprises of the Mussolini regime, the Racial Laws and the Holocaust, and domestic terrorism. The role of the bourgeoisie as indicator, inspiration, and conscience in current pop and high culture is also examined. Several leading scholars contributed to this volume (Gius Gargiulo, Cristina Della Coletta, Giancarlo Lombardi, NIcoletta DiCiolla etc.)