Burying Mussolini: Ordinary Life in the Shadows of Fascism

Heywood, Paolo

Abstract

Burying Mussolini addresses the global resurgence in authoritarian and nationalist populism and its connection with valorizations of ordinary life. Predappio is the birthplace and burial site of Benito Mussolini and Italy's premier neo-fascist tourist site with hundreds of thousands of fascist sympathizers descending on the town annually. But, Paolo Heywood asks, what of the people who actually live there? What does 'ordinary life' look like in the shadow of Mussolini's grave?

As politicians, commentators, and social scientists seek to understand what lies behind new forms of political authoritarianism, and whether and how they resemble movements once thought consigned to the past, Burying Mussolini narrates how people in Predappio cope with the dark heritage of their home by carefully crafting a sense of 'ordinariness' that is itself inflected by ghosts of their fascist past.

Citation

Heywood, P. (2024). Burying Mussolini: Ordinary Life in the Shadows of Fascism. Cornell University Press

• Book Type: Authored Book
• Online Publication Date: Dec 15, 2024
• Publication Date: Dec 15, 2024
• Deposit Date: Feb 29, 2024
• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• ISBN: 9781501778285
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2290612
• Publisher URL: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501778285/burying-mussolini