Discussion. Storia dell'Italia contemporanea 1943-2019, by Umberto Gentiloni Silveri

Scholars and students may have opposing views on Italy: they may consider it a late-comer or, conversely, a laboratory or an anomaly. It is however indisputable that the country is still historically, culturally, politically and economically a major European ‘actor’ – often at the centre of transnational webs – which is worth observing or reflecting upon in order to better comprehend its national and international histories. To this end, Storia dell’Italia contemporanea, 1943–2019 inaugurates our ‘Modern Italy discussion series’ on contemporary historiography which will feature timely reflections about topical subjects. This newly-conceived section will expand the journal’s remit through collaboration with authors, academic publishers, review editors, and cultural institutions because we want to be involved in academic and cultural debates, becoming a sort of bridge between national and global scholarly production. Our first discussion originates from a roundtable held at the Fondazione Gramsci in Rome.1 Storia dell’Italia contemporanea was published by Il Mulino in 2019, sold a few thousand copies, and it is still generating some media debate. An English-language edition will be published in Palgrave Macmillan’s Italian and Italian American Studies Series in 2022. Umberto Gentiloni Silveri, a professor of contemporary history at the Sapienza University of Rome and the editor-in-chief of Sapienza Università Editrice, wrote this postwar history of Italy to place the country within a wide geo-political perspective. In so doing, not only did he highlight fears, political constraints, collective narratives, contradictions, and conflicts influencing democracy and the national community up to the present day, but he also looked at how Italian society and politics developed in relation to an international context. The national intricacies this volume presents to its readers as well as its ‘international’ connotations are an intriguing starting point for our new journal platform on historiography. By showcasing the best scholarship on Italy, Modern Italy aims to continue its mission of being an international hub for the study of the fascinating Euro-Mediterranean nation that is Italy