CONTEMPORARY HISTORY I

The course offers a general knowledge of aspects of European, Italian, colonial and postcolonial history in the 19th and the 20th centuries. A special attention is given to the following questions: periodization, the identification of historical subjects, the study of texts and contexts. Students are introduced to historiographical debates on the modern era and are encouraged to identify the links between the experiences of the past and contemporary events.

The student is supposed to familiarize himself or herself with European, colonial and postcolonianl events between the Nineteenth century and the first half of the Twentieth century with a special focus on political and cultural events. General historical events will be examioned especially through the lense of the relations between European, colonial and postcolonial relationships.
The student will aso develop critical abilities in analyzing chronological and causal relations, in the analysis of texts and contexts, in the identification of historical subjects.

There are no specific prerequirements

Nations, Empire, colonies and the postcolonial world since 1875.
Europe, North Africa and the Middle East

GENERAL BACKGROUND (Parte Generale):

The General Background – mandatory for all – is based:

- Eric J. Hobsbawm, L’età degli imperi, 1875-1914, Laterza 2005 (or other editions)
Read the following chapters: from II to IV; VI; XIII.

- Eric J. Hobsbawm, Il secolo breve. 1914-1941, Rizzoli 2014 (or other editions)
Read the following chapters: from I to V: VII; from VIII to XIII; XV

SPECIAL PART (Parte Monografica):

Students attending classes ("frequentanti") must select 1 book in the following list if they are taking the class for 6 credits; 2 books if they are taking the class for 12 credits.
Students not attending classes ("non frequentanti") must select 2 books from the following list, if they are taking the class for 6 credits; 3 books if they are taking the class for 12 credits.

Please select among the following:

- Gian Paolo Calchi Novati, L’Africa d’Italia. Una storia coloniale e postcoloniale, Carocci 2019 (chapters VI and IX are not required reading)
- Gian Paolo Calchi Novati, Caterina Roggero, Storia dell’Algeria indipendente, Bompiani 2018 (chapters IX and X are not required reading)
- Federico Cresti, Massimiliano Cricco, Storia della Libia contemporanea, Carocci 2015 (chapter XI is not required reading)
- James L. Gelvin, Il conflitto israelo-palestinese. Cent’anni di guerra, Einaudi 2007
- James L. Gelvin, Storia del Medio Oriente moderno, Einaudi 2023, parti II, III, IV (sections called Documenti are not required reading)
- Caterina Roggero, Storia del Nord Africa indipendente. Tra imperialismi, nazionalismi e autoritarismi, Bompiani 2019 (chapter V is not required reading)

NB. The parts which are mentioned in parenthesis are not mandatory, the rest of the volume is required reading (or the entire volume, if no other indication is given)

Students taking the exam for 12 cfu, can also select among the following volumes:

- Sebastian Conrad, Storia globale. Un’introduzione, Carocci 2015
- Franz Fanon, I dannati della terra, a cura di L. Ellena, Eianudi 2007
- Jan C. Jansen, Jurgen Osterhammel, Decolonization. A short history, Princeton UP 2019

NB. When available, all of the above books can be read in the original English or in the English version. Read them in Italian if you are taking the exam in Italian and you want to practice the language

The student is supposed to have a general knowledge of major events from the period 1875-1970 (circa), to be aware of the historiographical debates on the central questions of the modern age, to analyze critically both historical events and the historian's approach to the past.
The final exam (which lasts 2 hours) must be taken in written form and it is based on open questions: there are 6 question for the background part ("parte generale") from which each candidate can select 3; there are 2 questions for each volume for the special part ("parte monografica").

Lectures and discussions with students

Ca’ Foscari applica la Legge Italiana (Legge 17/1999; Legge 170/2010) per i servizi di supporto e di accomodamento disponibili agli studenti con disabilità o con disturbi specifici dell’apprendimento. Se hai una disabilità motoria, visiva, dell’udito o altre disabilità (Legge 17/1999) o un disturbo specifico dell’apprendimento (Legge 170/2010) e richiedi supporto (assistenza in aula, ausili tecnologici per lo svolgimento di esami o esami individualizzati, materiale in formato accessibile, recupero appunti, tutorato specialistico a supporto dello studio, interpreti o altro) contatta l’ufficio Disabilità e DSA disabilita@unive.it.

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development