Modern humanities

EROS FRANCESCANGELI

The course aims to provide knowledge and understanding of the methodological, critical and applicable aspects of the Discipline; it proposes geographical areas and sectorial perspectives in which related projects are activated; it shows the variability of fields of interest; it enables the student to master the specific topics in order to use them and apply them in other fields of study while using the correct specific language. With the acquired knowledge the student will be able to develop autonomous ability of connections with other disciplines in the various historical epochs and cultural contexts.

Students will be able to distinguish the main elements that characterize contemporary historical knowledge, from the mid-19th century to the present. Particular attention will be paid to: processes of globalization; the formation/consolidation of nation states; the birth and development of mass society; the main political cultures of the 19th and 20th centuries; major events/processes characterized by mass extermination and genocide; decolonization processes in the so-called Third World; the global crisis of the 1970s, particularly in Italy; the Middle Eastern question and the geopolitical landscape following the fall of Eastern European collectivist regimes.
The above broad themes will also be explored through approaches less conventional than those typically associated with political and diplomatic history, such as gender history, subaltern studies, postcolonial studies, and cultural history. Finally, the course will explore aspects of historical research methodology and the critique of historical sources.

There are no prerequisites; however, in addition to a good knowledge of the Italian language, a general knowledge (at school level) of historiographical vocabulary and the themes, problems, and scenarios of contemporary history is desirable.

Specifically, the following will be the program of topics covered in the lessons:
• Introduction to the course. History and Past
• Bourgeoisie and Working Class
• The Second Industrial Revolution
• The Great European Powers
• The United States and Japan
• The Colonial Empires
• Governing United Italy
• Mass Society and the Early 20th Century
• Giolitti's Italy
• The First World War
• The Russian Revolution
• The Legacy of the Great War
• Postwar Italy
• From the "Red Two Years" to the Fascist Regime
• Authoritarian Regimes in the 1920s
• The Great Depression of the 1930s
• The Rise of Nazism in Germany
• Europe in the 1930s
• The USSR and Stalinism
• The Fascist Regime in Italy
• The Decline of the Colonial Empires
• From the Spanish Civil War to the Second World War
• World War II
• War, Resistance, and Postwar
• The Age of the Cold War
• Italy in the 1950s
• Decolonization and the Third World
• De-Stalinization and Peaceful Coexistence
• Society Consumerism and the Center-Left
• The Second Vatican Council and Catholic Protest
• Youth Protest and the 1968 Movement
• The Years of Widespread Insubordination
• Revolution and Democracy in Europe
• The Years of Armed Struggle in Italy
• The 1980s: A Changing World
• The Fall of Communism in Europe
• The European Union and the Middle East
• The Israeli-Palestinian Crisis
• The Crisis of the "First Republic"
• The World at the Turn of the Millennium
• Islam and the Clash with the West
• The World and Italy in the 21st Century

1) Textbook:
- Giovanni Sabbatucci, Vittorio Vidotto, Il mondo contemporaneo, Laterza, 2019 [new updated edition].

2) One volume of your choice from the following:
- Filippo Focardi, Santo Peli (a cura di), Resistenza. La guerra partigiana in Italia (1943-1945), Carocci, 2025;
- Eros Francescangeli, «Un mondo meglio di così». La sinistra rivoluzionaria in Italia (1943-1978), Viella, 2023;
- Andrea Miccichè, Igor Pizzirusso, Marcello Ravveduto, Il primo libro di didattica della storia, Einaudi, 2025;
- Fabio Milazzo, La retorica della storia. Hayden White e la svolta linguistica nella seconda metà del Novecento, FrancoAngeli, 2025.

3) One book of your choice from the following:
- Francesco Casales, L’invasione immaginata. Futuro, guerra e conflitto sociale in Europa (1871-1914), il Mulino, 2025;
- Umberto Gentiloni Silveri, Storia dell'Italia contemporanea 1943-2023, il Mulino, 2024;
- Arturo Marzano, Questa terra è nostra da sempre. Israele e Palestina, Laterza, 2024;
- Andrea Tappi, Javier Tébar Hurtado, La Resistenza e la Transizione spagnola a scuola. Storia e memoria del passaggio dalle dittature alla democrazia, Carocci, 2025;
- Bruno Walter Renato Toscano, Pantere nere, America bianca. Storia e politica del Black Panther Party, Ombre corte, 2023.

4) One book of your choice from the following:
- Margherita Becchetti, Non per bellezza. Donne (e uomini) nella lotta partigiana, MUP, 2025;
- Bruno Cianci, Una lanterna nel buio. Florence Nightingale, la prima infermiera, Laterza, 2023;
- Claudio Fogu, L’immaginario mediterraneo nella storia d’Italia, Pacini, 2025;
- Federico Goddi, Tullio Masotti L’itinerario politico di un sindacalista rivoluzionario, Sapienza Università Editrice, 2024;
- Mirko Sebastiani, Adele Bei. Madre costituente, Affinità elettive, 2024;
- Vanessa Roghi, La parola femminista. Una storia personale e politica, Mondadori, 2024.

There are no additional texts for non-attending students.

In addition to the required textbook and the optional books mentioned above, the following books are useful:
- Manfedi Alberti, Il lavoro in Italia. Un profilo storico dall'Unità a oggi, Carocci, 2025;
- Michele Colucci, Storia dell'emigrazione straniera in Italia. Dal 1945 ai nostri giorni, Carocci, 2025;
- Carlo Fumian, Andrea Giuntini (a cura di), Storia economica globale del mondo contemporaneo, Carocci, 2019;
- Chiara Giorgi, Ilaria Pavan, Storia dello Stato sociale in Italia, il Mulino, 2021;
- Alessandra Gissi, Paola Stelliferi, L'aborto. Una storia, Carocci, 2023.

Classroom lectures will explain the topics and encourage input and questions. More specifically, each lecture will feature a lecture and a section dedicated to the discussion of texts, documents, and interpretations of events/processes, aiming to develop the skills needed to interpret the main issues facing the contemporary age. The interdisciplinary approach and perspectives different from those of political and diplomatic history will facilitate—along with group participation in discussions—the critical reworking of the work materials.

Attendance is optional but recommended.

Presentation of topics and problems covered in class (and/or in the textbook). Critical and analytical skills will be assessed, as will the effectiveness of the presentation. Specifically, the oral exam will assess the candidate's knowledge of the course content and that presented in the textbook and selected volumes, positively evaluating the candidate's critical contribution. Grades are expressed numerically between 18 and 30 cum laude.

- From Colonialism to Imperialism
- The Causes of the First World War
- The Revolutions in Russia
- The Post-War Period and the Rise of Fascism in Italy
- The New Deal
- The Age of the Cold War
- The Years of the Economic Boom
- The Crisis of the 1970s
- The Post-1991 "New World Order"
- Issues and Problems Related to Globalization

• Specifically, the following will be the program of topics covered in the lessons:• Introduction to the course. History and Past• Bourgeoisie and Working Class• The Second Industrial Revolution• The Great European Powers• The United States and Japan• The Colonial Empires• Governing United Italy• Mass Society and the Early 20th Century• Giolitti's Italy• The First World War• The Russian Revolution• The Legacy of the Great War• Postwar Italy• From the "Red Two Years" to the Fascist Regime• Authoritarian Regimes in the 1920s• The Great Depression of the 1930s• The Rise of Nazism in Germany• Europe in the 1930s• The USSR and Stalinism• The Fascist Regime in Italy• The Decline of the Colonial Empires• From the Spanish Civil War to the Second World War• World War II• War, Resistance, and Postwar• The Age of the Cold War• Italy in the 1950s• Decolonization and the Third World• De-Stalinization and Peaceful Coexistence• Society Consumerism and the Center-Left• The Second Vatican Council and Catholic Protest• Youth Protest and the 1968 Movement• The Years of Widespread Insubordination• Revolution and Democracy in Europe• The Years of Armed Struggle in Italy• The 1980s: A Changing World• The Fall of Communism in Europe• The European Union and the Middle East• The Israeli-Palestinian Crisis• The Crisis of the "First Republic"• The World at the Turn of the Millennium• Islam and the Clash with the West• The World and Italy in the 21st Century
  • Books: 1) Textbook:- Giovanni Sabbatucci, Vittorio Vidotto, Il mondo contemporaneo, Laterza, 2019 [new updated edition].2) One volume of your choice from the following:- Filippo Focardi, Santo Peli (a cura di), Resistenza. La guerra partigiana in Italia (1943-1945), Carocci, 2025;- Eros Francescangeli, «Un mondo meglio di così». La sinistra rivoluzionaria in Italia (1943-1978), Viella, 2023;- Andrea Miccichè, Igor Pizzirusso, Marcello Ravveduto, Il primo libro di didattica della storia, Einaudi, 2025;- Fabio Milazzo, La retorica della storia. Hayden White e la svolta linguistica nella seconda metà del Novecento, FrancoAngeli, 2025.3) One book of your choice from the following:- Francesco Casales, L’invasione immaginata. Futuro, guerra e conflitto sociale in Europa (1871-1914), il Mulino, 2025;- Umberto Gentiloni Silveri, Storia dell'Italia contemporanea 1943-2023, il Mulino, 2024;- Arturo Marzano, Questa terra è nostra da sempre. Israele e Palestina, Laterza, 2024;- Andrea Tappi, Javier Tébar Hurtado, La Resistenza e la Transizione spagnola a scuola. Storia e memoria del passaggio dalle dittature alla democrazia, Carocci, 2025;- Bruno Walter Renato Toscano, Pantere nere, America bianca. Storia e politica del Black Panther Party, Ombre corte, 2023. 4) One book of your choice from the following:- Margherita Becchetti, Non per bellezza. Donne (e uomini) nella lotta partigiana, MUP, 2025;- Bruno Cianci, Una lanterna nel buio. Florence Nightingale, la prima infermiera, Laterza, 2023; - Claudio Fogu, L’immaginario mediterraneo nella storia d’Italia, Pacini, 2025;- Federico Goddi, Tullio Masotti L’itinerario politico di un sindacalista rivoluzionario, Sapienza Università Editrice, 2024;- Mirko Sebastiani, Adele Bei. Madre costituente, Affinità elettive, 2024;- Vanessa Roghi, La parola femminista. Una storia personale e politica, Mondadori, 2024.There are no additional texts for non-attending students.