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Post-secular identity in contemporary Italian cinema: Catholic ‘cement’, the suppression of history and the lost Islamic other

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2017

Clodagh Brook
Clodagh Brook*
Affiliation:
Modern Languages: Italian Studies, School of Languages, Cultures and History of ArtUniversity of Birmingham, UK
*
* Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Alessandro Ferrari claims that Catholicism was the only cement binding the newly unified Italy together, a country without a common language or a widespread culture capable of founding civic engagement. Taking a post-secular perspective on religion, which recognizes that religion is not simply a ‘residue’ soon to be extinguished (as Raymond Williams once stated), this article will explore Italian cinema’s contemporary constructions of this national ‘religious cement’ as a putative foundation for identity in 21st century Italy. The article sets out too to show the cracks in the cement: collective identity can only be created by ignoring religious diversity and removing thorny issues from the history of the Catholic church.

Italian summary

Secondo Alessandro Ferrari, alla fine dell’Ottocento il cattolicesimo era l’unico ‘cemento’ che avrebbe tenuto unita la nazione, essendo questa priva di un linguaggio comune e di una cultura capace di stimolare l’impegno e la partecipazione sociale. Adottando una prospettiva post-secolare secondo cui la religione non è semplicemente ‘un residuo in via di estinzione’, per citare Raymond Williams, questo articolo esplora in che modo il cinema mette in scena il cosiddetto ‘cemento’ religioso, cui accenna Ferrari, e come questo contribuisce all’identità sociale del ventunesimo secolo. La mia tesi è che molti registi contemporanei hanno proposto nei loro film dei valori sociali condivisi che hanno un’impronta decisamente cattolica. Allo stesso tempo, questo articolo mette in evidenza le incrinature nel ‘cemento’, dimostrando come alla sua base venga ignorata la diversità religiosa e vengano rimosse pagine negative della storia della chiesa.

Keywords

cinemaItalyreligionCatholicismIslamidentity
Type
Research Article
Information
Modern Italy , Volume 22 , Special Issue 2: History and Memory in Italian Cinema , May 2017 , pp. 197 - 211
Copyright
© 2017 Association for the Study of Modern Italy 

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Filmography

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