Simboli della politica: lo strano caso del berretto della libertà

Autore: Francesco Benigno
In: Storica. 43-44-45 • anno XV, 2009
doi:10.1400/143226
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Abstract

Symbols of politics. The strange case of the liberty hat
The article attempts to explain how and why during the French Revolution the Phrygian red hat was associated with the ancient tradition of the liberty hat, becoming a universal symbol for freedom. It is argued that the great strenght and the extraordinary vitality of this symbol de- rived from a coalescence and condensation of different messages in a specific political context. Symbols then, are seen here not as the recipient of mysterious and hidden meanings nor as a superflous superstructure hiding «real» interests and passions but as part of a conflictive process, a battle for giving meaning to the world, a hegemonic fight for the control of common sense.