Patrie popoli corpi: genere e famiglia nell’era dei nuovi nazionalismi. Saggio introduttivo

Autore: Stefania Bernini
In: Genesis. XVIII/1, 2019
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Abstract

The new nativist and populist movements find a common thread in their proclivity for upholding the family as the foundation of the national community. They also converge in portraying it as a rigidly-defined and immutable institution, which is hierarchical and based on clearly distinguished gender roles. This article introduces this special issue dedicated to family and nation as defined by the new populist turn, and discusses the connections that link the call for a return to the so-called “traditional family life” and the portrayal of the nation as a biological community. The essay argues that both the assertion of a rigid concept of family life and the definition of the nation as a community of blood are grounded in a nostalgic longing for a non-existent past. It also maintains that a radical rethinking of both nation and family as imagined communities is needed to respond to the new nativist-populist call.