Introduzione
Alessandra Pescarolo e Elisabetta Vezzosi
Mariti e mogli adultere in età liberale
Domenico Rizzo
Husbands and adulterous wives in the liberal age
This essay discusses the question of male identity by examining one of
its main attributes, the conjugal state, putting it in relation to the opportunities
provided by the legal system. The existence of a long-term obligation of
sexual fidelity on the part of wives has been an integral and fundamental part
of the intricate construction existing between legal systems and identity. At
the same time, it has represented an important element of the husband’s
status and of male identity in a more general sense. By reference to the Italian
penal code in the liberal age, the move from the old regime to the liberal
framework is analysed, to throw light on developments in the relationship
between the wife’s sexual responsibilities and the husband’s behaviour; the
essay poses the question of exactly what kind of resource was represented for
husbands by their being able to accuse their wives of a criminal offence.
Maschi in colonia. Gli italiani in Etiopia (1935-1941)
Giulietta Stefani
Males in a colony. The Italians in Ethiopia (1935-1941)
This essay describes the preliminary findings of an ongoing study into
the relationship between masculinity and colonialism, with reference to the
Italian colonization of Ethiopia during the fascist regime. The author begins
with an overview of historiographical works (mostly by non-Italians) about
colonialism and gender, and continues with some discussion of the
methodological problems posed by this kind of study. Finally, by means of an
analysis of various texts, comprising propagandistic texts, and the memoirs
and diaries of the colonizers, a tentative outline is proposed of the models,
behaviour, and male (self)perceptions of the Italians who took part in the
«conquest of the empire», with particular attention focused on their relationship
with «the Other» (the indigenous males), and on the inter-racial
relationships they had with African women.
La mafia: definizione e uso di un modello virilista
Salvatore Lupo
The mafia. The definition and use of a model of virility
Like the other mafias, Cosa Nostra, in Sicily and in America, is represented
and in particular, represents itself, as the embodiment of Tradition, and
therefore of the patriarchal Family and of Virility. This essay attempts to show
that this is a purely ideological projection used by organized crime to obtain the
social recognition without which it cannot obtain its successes; in spite of its
instrumental nature, however, this projection is confirmed by the media and
often by the experts themselves, because it represents an important element in
the collective unconscious. It is important to abandon this practice, both for the
good of society and for a correct interpretation of the phenomenon.
Un mondo senza Wanda. Opinione maschile e legge Merlin (1948-1958)
Sandro Bellassai
A world without Wanda. Male opinion and the Merlin law
(1948-1958)
This essay focuses on opinions about the abolition of regulated
prostitution expressed by certain sections of Italy’s male population (doctors,
politicians, lawyers, and journalists) in the 1950s. The Merlin law, presented in
1948 and finally approved in 1958, closed down the brothels after ten years of
controversy, which ranged far beyond prostitution to embrace much wider
issues, such as public morality, sexuality, and the balance of power between
genders. Based on various types of sources – parliamentary proceedings,
weekly publications, law journals and scientific literature – the study focuses in
particular upon the reasonings that the men put forward in favour of the law, or
against it. The construction of male discourse on prostitution – on the basis of
the parliamentary debates – is analysed using certain keys of interpretation
which are of particular importance for the study of contemporary masculinity,
such as male misogyny, scientific definitions of female identity and roles, the
relationship between processes of modernization and gender identities, and the
profound ambivalences of the basic principles of sexual morality espoused both
by the moralist conservative camp, and by the progressive, secular one.
Mascolinità moderne in Turchia. Dalla decadenza al militarismo
Ayse Saraçgil
Modern masculinities in Turkey. From decadence to militarism
This essay sets out to examine the changes which occurred in the
conception and experience of masculinity in the Ottoman empire and the
Turkish republic between 1860 and 1920. The shift from decadentism to
militarism, symbolised by the striking contrast between the vacillating figures
of the last sultans and the soldier-heroes Enver Pascià and Mustafà Kemal, is
one of the main points of reference. The other key point is the inter-relationship
between the female-male and internal-external dichotomies. The article
describes the changes in masculinity taking place during the nineteenth century,
especially after Kemal’s founding of the Turkish republic, with special
reference to the subjective sphere, and in particular to dress, to perceptions of
the body, and to styles of life. The battle for the abolition of the fez, the new
emphasis on male bodies which were both athletic and military, the insistence
on breaking up traditional generational hierarchies and forcing the inside to
come outside, as in the case of mixed dancing and schooling, the new alliances
between fathers and daughters, are all examples of profoundly innovative
definitions of internal and external, of male and female relationships. In
methodological terms, it is suggested that the categories of gender can shed a
completely new light upon the well-known processes of ‘revolution from
above’, embodied here in the remarkable figure of Mustafà Kemal, who was to
become Atatürk, literally, the ‘Father of the Turks’.
Né //machos//, né mammolette. La mascolinità degli ebrei italiani
Luciano Allegra
Neither machos, nor wimps. The masculinity of Italian Jews
By describing the Italian situation, this essay tries to show how, from
ancient times, the ideal of Jewish masculinity has undergone profound
changes, both through the gradual strengthening of the role of Jewish women,
and as a consequence of the dramatic transformation in conditions following
the diaspora and the specific nature of each single community’s model of
settlement. The examination of the Italian situation also brings to light the
existence of autoctonous modes of behaviour which are very different from
the stereotype of the Jew of Central Europe, who, according to most of the
literature of the time, embodied the very essence of modern Judaism. The image
held up to ridicule in Nazi printed propaganda – a Jewish male who was
weak and effeminate, though anything but asexual – appears not to correspond
at all to the ideals of masculinity cultivated in the Italian ghettos.
Contro le donne. Diventare maschi in un caso di perversione sessuale
Giovanni Starace
Against women. On becoming male in a case of sexual
perversion
This essay argues that in order to make a proper analysis of how gender
identity is constructed, it is necessary to go beyond a purely organistic perspective,
and pursue a line of enquiry which can produce a definition of gender
in predominantly psychological terms. A theoretical approach is outlined
which sees male identity as closely related to female identity, beginning with
the primary symbiotic relationship with the mother. If this relationship fails
to develop properly, it is impossible for a healthy male identity to be constructed,
and the relationship can actually produce behaviour which is damaging
to female figures in the vicinity. To illustrate the way in which these
problems unfold, a case of sexual perversion is described which maps out the
progress of this difficult relationship with the female element, and the consequences
that this has in the construction of gender identity. A recognition of
an original dependence on the female, without which there would have been
no psychic life, is the keystone for a healthy male gender identity.
maggio 2004, 248 p. ISBN-10: 88-8334-110-4 ISBN-13: 978-88-8334-110-6 € 21,00