B004372 - HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY EUROPE

Italian

The monographic course deals with persecution of internal minorities, forced popolution displacements and genocidies occurred during the 20th Century, with a main focus on the first-half of the century in Europe. We will investigate multiple causes, main actors, diverse ongoings and ideologies of those events, both on a general level and in some case-studies.

In order to pass the esamination, students attending the course should rely on notes taken in class, write a paper and study the following two books: Dan Diner, Raccontare il Novecento. Una storia politica (Garzanti) [only the Introduzione and chapters 1, 2 e 4]; Bernard Bruneteau, Il secolo dei genocidi (il Mulino).

Student NOT attending the course should study both the books above suggested and also one of the following books: Antonio Ferrara e Niccolò Pianciola, L'età delle migrazioni forzate. Esodi e deportazioni in Europa, 1853-1953 (Il Mulino), or, in alternative, Jacques Semelin, Purificare e distruggere. Usi politici dei massacri e dei genocidi (Einaudi).

You can read these books in your own language, if they are available.

Advanced knowledge of history of genocides during the 20th Century, including ability to find and to analyse sources and to research autonomously on this issue and to expose and debate orally and writtenly your results.

Qualified knowledge in contemporary history, sociology and political science, as acquired in a first-level degree. This is a compulsory requirement also for Erasmus and other foreign students.

Lessons of the teacher and workshop, with students' oral and written expositions.

Students attending classes are requested to be present regularly and to partecipate actively to lessons and workshop organised during the course.

In order to pass the esamination, students attending classes should relay on notes taken in class, write a paper and study the following two books: Dan Diner, Raccontare il Novecento. Una storia politica (Garzanti) [only the Introduzione and chapters 1, 2 e 4]; Bernard Bruneteau, Il secolo dei genocidi (il Mulino).

Student NOT attending classes should study both the books above suggested and also one of the following books: Antonio Ferrara e Niccolò Pianciola, L'età delle migrazioni forzate. Esodi e deportazioni in Europa, 1853-1953 (Il Mulino), or, as alternative, Jacques Semelin, Purificare e distruggere. Usi politici dei massacri e dei genocidi (Einaudi). You can read these books in your own language, if they are available.

The final examination is oral and questions concern the above suggested books and, for students attending classes, topics dealt with in classes. Students attending classes should send their paper by email to the teacher at least a week before the date of the examination. The paper will add between 1/30 to 3/30 to the mark of the oral examination. Active partecipation to class debate also contributes positively to the final mark.

First section of the course is an introduction to European history in the first half of the 20th century, with a special focus on the crisis and fall of empires and the coeval building of national states. Therefore, it pays attention specially to identification of internal enemies and to organised political violence against defenceless civilians and minorities, both during war periods and previously and in theaftermath of the main interstatal conflicts of the period.

Second section is devoted to analyse historical literature concerning topics of forced migration, ethnic-national conflicts, genocidies, in order to analyze main issues and concepts and the most relvant interpretations. It analyze some of most relevant case-studies of forced migrations and genocidies, both in Europe (Armenians, Jews, Serbians, Bosnian muslims), and in other contexts (Rwanda. Cambodia).

Third section is devoted to wokshops focussing the above and other case-studies, refererred to the global context in the 20th century, as the ucrainan Holodomor, Greeks in the Middle-East, Italiana in North Adriatic region, Germans in Central Europe, etc.