SOCIAL HISTORY OF CULTURE

Course Title: Art and Politics in the Age of Enlightenment

In mid-eighteenth-century Paris, the encyclopedists launched a vast campaign for a radical redefinition of the public dimension of all "imaginative" arts. First came music (1752-1754), followed by theater (1757-1759); soon after, novels (1761-1762). Lastly, it was the turn of the visual arts (1759-1781). Their intent was to expose the correlation between the prejudices and hierarchies of the political and social system of their time and what d'Alembert referred to as "literary superstitions." A comprehensive political battle, long misunderstood by idealist artistic criticism, is here restored to its original significance: to the time and historical context in which it took place.

At the end of the course, the student must demonstrate: a) the ability to articulate a coherent historical framework of the events and debates that are at the origin of the Enlightenment cultural revolution, a turning point in the birth of the contemporary world; b) skills in recognizing the different types of historiographical research in relation to the various historical and artistic sources examined; c) the ability to adequately comment on the complex of historical sources (both visual and written) analyzed in class; d) a conscious use of the historiographical categories employed during the lessons; e) the capacity to independently initiate in-depth studies and reflections on specific cases related to the course topic.

None, apart from those required by the LLEAP II degree course of studies
The course was designed to meet the needs of the French track of the LLEAP master's program, but it approaches themes and topics with a methodology that is primarily historical and historical-cultural, which may be of particular interest and perhaps even useful for students of literature in other tracks of the master's program.

Using the historical method and investigating the relevant artistic and cultural objects, the course reconstructs the role of the Enlightenment thinkers in a two-decade-long cultural dispute that was primarily political and only secondarily artistic, theatrical, and literary. This was despite the fact that it revolved entirely around painting, music, drama, and the novel.

a) the notes from the lessons and the texts commented on in class; ; b) the book:

* G. TOCCHINI, Arte e politica nella cultura dei Lumi. Diderot, Rousseau e la critica dell'antico regime artistico, Roma, Carocci, 2016

Please note: Students who, for any reason, are unable to attend class must come to office hours to agree on a program.

The oral exam, lasting approximately 20 minutes on average, will focus on at least two topics covered in the course and aims to assess the student's overall preparation, as well as their ability to present and coordinate the themes addressed in the course and to connect different topics.

During the oral exam, the student must demonstrate a) the ability to articulate a coherent historical framework of the events and debates that are at the origin of the Enlightenment cultural revolution, a turning point in the emergence of the contemporary world; b) the skill to recognize the different types of historiographical research in relation to the various historical and artistic sources examined; c) the ability to adequately comment on the complex of historical sources (both visual and written) analyzed in class; d) a conscious application of the historiographical categories used throughout the lessons; and e) the capacity to independently initiate in-depth studies and reflections on specific cases related to the course topic.

15 academic lessons, with ichonography

Italian

Students will be required to print and bring to class a hard copy of the text to be read during the lessons, downloadable in pdf from the Moodle section in this webpage [file: StSocialeCultura testi 2026.pdf]

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development