Cultural Politics of the New Right in Italy

Kathrin Rottmann and Friederike Sigler in Discussion with Alessandra Ferrini

Abstract

This conversation with Alessandra Ferrini, led by Kathrin Rottmann and Friederike Sigler, explores the changes in art and cultural policies in Italy during the first months of Giorgia Meloni’s term as Prime Minister (October 2022–February 2023). In particular, it focuses on the new government’s appointments in the arts sector, considering the relation and continuities between historical Fascism and the current Far-Right. Reflecting on Italian Fascism’s value and investments on culture and its impact on the contemporary arts and cultural landscape in Italy, this article gives an overview on nationalist discourse, attitudes to the past, and to Fascist heritage in Republican Italy.

Keywords: Italy, Fascism, Neofascism, Far Right, Art and Cultural Policy