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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2021

Patricia Gaborik
Affiliation:
University of Calabria
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Summary

The Introduction’s Prologue “Mussolini as Actor” reconstructs a tendency – alive in both popular and scholarly discourse – to castigate Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as an uncultured buffoon, a histrionic personality more interested in putting on a show than in governing his country. Teasing out the ways in which such an image resides within broader narratives that dismiss fascism itself as spectacle, Gaborik makes the case for a new approach to fascist studies that uses the theatre not as a metaphor but as a key object of investigation. The second part of the introduction, “From Theatre History to Fascist Historiography,” lays out how the study of performance and theatrical institutions in Mussolini's Italy can offer new perspectives not just on the dictator’s cultural proclivities (and appreciation for the performing arts) but on fascism itself: the centrality of arts and culture to its domestic and foreign policy goals, the surprisingly complex relationship of Italy’s intellectuals with il Duce and his regime, and the very totalitarian nature of the fascist State.

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Chapter
Information
Mussolini's Theatre
Fascist Experiments in Art and Politics
, pp. 1 - 29
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Introduction
  • Patricia Gaborik
  • Book: Mussolini's Theatre
  • Online publication: 15 April 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108902427.001
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Introduction
  • Patricia Gaborik
  • Book: Mussolini's Theatre
  • Online publication: 15 April 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108902427.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Patricia Gaborik
  • Book: Mussolini's Theatre
  • Online publication: 15 April 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108902427.001
Available formats
×