Between the Old World and the New. The Reception of Guglielmo Ferrero in the United States (1900-1914)

The article investigates the roots and the extent of the success of Guglielmo Ferrero, eclectic Italian intellectual, in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century. It takes into consideration four aspects: the first part analyzes the enthusiastic reception of Ferrero’s books on ancient Rome among the general American reading public; the second assesses the degree to which this success was extended to the specialists of classical studies, taking into consideration the very significant role these disciplines played in the American university system back then; the third paragraph outlines some aspects of Ferrero’s activities as intellectual contributing to and being part of the public debate in the United States, especially on America herself and her destiny; the fourth deals with the reception of Ferrero’s works at the outbreak of World War I. The intent of the article is twofold: on the one hand, it casts new light on the intellectual biography of Ferrero himself, for whom the encounter with the USA was particularly relevant, influencing his theories on progress and modernity; on the other, it investigates American culture, its values and beliefs, hopes and fears after the turn of the century, as mirrored in the reactions to a foreigner’s views.