The course primarily focuses on social dynamics and identities in Italy as they have emerged in the last two decades and continue to transform in the present, although each topic is contextualized within a broader explanation of social change in the post-World War 2 era. Students are first introduced to the main theoretical and methodological approaches adopted in the sociological and anthropological study of contemporary Italy. We then examine the ways in which local and community identities are expressed and transformed in Italy’s primarily urban society, how families and gender roles have developed since the 1970s and the pressures produced by the current economic crisis, as well as the reasons and processes by which increasing numbers of Italians are re-developing rural activities and livelihoods. Next, we discuss life in the Italian work-place and the effects that de-industrialization, technological development and precarious work contracts are having on professional  and class identities. Inevitably, these new identities are also expressed in the political arena and we therefore examine the rising appeal of populist and ‘anti-political’ discourses and figures and the extent to which traditional parties are able to respond to these demands and challenges. Italy’s strong civic movements are also innovating and struggling to improve social life ‘from below’ and we explore various forms and expressions of this civic engagement and protest. Issues that have been traditionally relegated to the private domain – such as disabilities and sexual identities – are increasingly being represented in the public sphere and we explore the way the fight for rights and recognition is evolving. Lastly, we examine Italy as a multiethnic society and the increasingly transnational identities that are developing as people move into and out of the country. We discuss how immigration is changing social and cultural life and how the growing number of ‘hyphenated Italians’ express their identities. Religious (and secular) identities and practices are profoundly connected to these processes and we explore the social role of Catholicism and other religions today. We also investigate why Italy is suffering a dramatic brain-drain and the influence that young Italians abroad are having on their society of origin.

The course may include a fieldtrip within Rome. Various classes will also require students to carry out field observations and interviews with Italians for homework in order to encourage experiential learning. In addition to participating in lectures, class discussions and doing the assigned readings, students will be expected to attend guest lectures offered by John Cabot and to watch a number of documentaries and films about contemporary Italy on their own time.

The ASSESSMENT CRITERIA listed below refer to all assessment methods in the course.

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

·         Explain the main methods and rationale of anthropological and sociological inquiry as it pertains to Italy

·         Refer to theoretical debates concerning identities, performativity and tensions between agency and structure

·         Identify the main periods of social change in post-war Italy and analyze today’s phenomena within those contexts

·         Outline the main demographic and population changes of recent decades and explain their causes and  consequences on social interactions and identities

·         Discuss the main economic developments in Italy since the 1980s especially as they concern the labor market and the workplace

·         Discuss debates concerning the body and the public sphere: gender, sexualities, and disabilities

·         Identify the main forms and expressions of grassroots action and protest and their reasons

·         Outline Italy’s recent history of in- and out-migration and discuss why people decide to migrate and how this relates to processes of identity formation

·         Explain the changing role of Catholicism in Italy and the increasing importance of secularism and alternative religious identities

Attendance: arriving punctually, remaining in class for the duration of each lesson, participating actively and constructively.

You cannot make up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean's Office. The Dean's Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will miss an exam must notify the Dean's Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up the work that will be missed.