The fascist mimesis of Spanish international law and its Vitorian aftermath, 1939-1953

Copyright © 2012 Koninklijke Brill NV.This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below.The figure and works of Francisco de Vitoria, the father of international law, have fascinated generations of non Spanish international legal scholars - past and present. These range from classic figures as diverse as the founder of the American Society of International Law, James Brown Scott, or the Crown Jurist of the Third Reich, Carl Schmitt, to the recent post-colonial approaches to international law proposed by Antony Anghie or the most recent inquiries of Martti Koskenniemi on the private law underpinnings that for the universal ordering of international relations were contained in the work of the Spanish Scholastics of the sixteenth century. In this work, which is part of an on-going series, I examine how a climate of severe intellectual repression and organically nationalist-directed scientific work in Spain and the nationalist reaffirmation of a culture grounded in Catholic conservatism and traditionalism fostered the adoption of a marked thematic orientation towards natural law and the reinstatement of the Siglo de Oro’s Salamanca School among Spanish international lawyers after the Fascist Mimesis of Spanish International Law

Contradiction and the Role of the ‘Floating Signifier’: Identity and the ‘New Woman’ in Italian Cartoons During Fascism

This paper addresses the issue of political cartooning during Italian fascism, with specific reference to the role of women, as it is symbolised in the cartoons (i.e.the woman-mother/care-taker/fascist/worker). The latter will be revealed through a careful study of the contradictions generated by fascism and the representation of this ‘New Woman’ in political satire. The caricatures I will examine belong strictly to the Left discourse. They received high circulation figures and characterised Italy’s popular culture during the 1920’s. Whilst fascism did not provide any space for women to join the high ranks of the PNF (Partito Nazionale Fascista), the Left similarly did not provide any emancipatory discourse equal to a feminist one. Hence, at this stage women are engaged to different role-positions, which do not differentiate in party politics, but are more deeply embedded in the social spectrum of the society. In order to explain this contradiction, I will employ Ernesto Laclau’s concept of the ‘floating signifier’ for my analysis. I will begin with a presentation of discourse theory with specific reference to the ‘floating signifier.’ Following that, I will present a historical background and then turn to a series of examples

¿Fascismo en las instituciones del "Nuevo Estado"? Personal político, cultura política y participación en el franquismo (1936-1951)

A través de l'estudi del personal polític de les institucions del règim franquista entre 1936 i 1951, l'article pretén contribuir al debat sobre la naturalesa del Nou Estat, alineant-se amb les postures que consideren que va ser un règim parafascista. S'estudia per a això el perfil socioeconòmic i polític del personal de les altes institucions de l'Estat, els governadors civils i els ajuntaments urbans i rurals. En aquests àmbits s'evidencia la renovació del personal polític, sent els factors per al reclutament del mateix la seva militància en Falange i la seva participació activa en la guerra civil espanyola. Es conclou amb una caracterització de la cultura política del personal polític.The article contributes to the debate about the nature of the Francoist State through the study of the political personnel in the institutions of the regime, considering that it was a parafacist regime. It studies the socioeconomic and political profile of the rank and file officers in the high state institutions, the civil governors, and urban and rural city councils. It is demonstrated the renewal of the political personnel, selected for being members of Falange and for their active participation in the Spanish Civil War. The article concludes with a characterisation of the political culture of the Francoist political personnel.A través del estudio del personal político de las instituciones del régimen franquista entre 1936 y 1951, el artículo pretende contribuir al debate sobre la naturaleza del Nuevo Estado, alineándose con las posturas que consideran que fue un régimen parafascista. Se estudia para ello el perfil socioeconómico y político del personal de las altas instituciones del Estado, los gobernadores civiles y los ayuntamientos urbanos y rurales. En esos ámbitos se evidencia la renovación del personal político, siendo los factores para el reclutamiento del mismo su militancia en Falange y su participación activa en la guerra civil española. Se concluye con una caracterización de la cultura política del personal político

Celebrating Empire. Organization of "General Assemblies of the Forces of the Regime" 1935-6 in Italy\u27s Province of Istria

The author describes the preparation and implementation of mass rallies marking the beginning and the end of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia (October 1935 – May 1936) in Italy’s province of Istria. Relying on official regime representation of these events through the writing of the regime-affiliated press and confidential documents, the paper discusses the main organizational and ideological features of the mass rallies, with an emphasis on the manner in which the fascist authorities prepared them and the way they were presented in the press. Throughout the war, mass rallies and events of public ritual contributed to the homogenization of the Italian people, culminating in May 1936 with oceanic assemblies celebrating the victory, and achieving the closest state of unity of the people with the Fascist regime. The country-wide preparations for the “General Assembly of the Forces of the Regime” (Adunata generale delle forze del regime) that marked the beginning of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia were strictly implemented in the Province of Istria in line with the regime’s expectations, and the general population was urged to participate in the mass demonstrations that were believed to have been marking the events of utmost historical significance. The preparations for the Assembly went to the minimal detail, ensuring the participation of every Fascist Party member in the event, while the local daily journal Corriere Istriano motivated the wide masses for this huge event. The Gathering took place in the late afternoon of October 2nd 1935, and both archival documents and the press (focusing on the provincial capital of Pula) emphasized the alleged utmost euphoria and enthusiasm that the event provoked, especially in its dimension of adoration of the Italian leader Benito Mussolini. The gatherings in the so-called “Radiant African May” (Maggio radioso africano) in Istria in 1936 formed an incessant period of mobilization and celebration from May 5th (after the announcement of the capture of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa) up to May 10th (after the proclamation of the Empire). In contrast to the initial grand adunata on October 2nd 1935, these gatherings were more hastily prepared but were again ideologically organized and controlled from the government’s centre in Rome. Two main gatherings (May 5th and May 9th) involved the listening to Mussolini’s speeches through speakers put in public places, one of which was the huge Roman-era Amphitheatre in Pula. Besides that, the gatherings followed an already established pattern of forming processions and playing music that captivated the people gathered until early morning hours. The events occurred in the whole Province, and local police were asked to report to the Prefecture in Pula in detail about the gatherings on each locality

Anti-Semitism in Yugoslavia (1919–1945)

Ispitivanju fenomena antisemitizma u Jugoslaviji 1919—1945. autor pristupa na osnovi sheme dinamike antisemitizma iz knjige Ch. Glock and R. Stark, Christian Beliefs and Antisemitism. Isto tako, na osnovu teze H. Arendt, vrši se razlikovanje između modernog političkog antisemitizma od tradicionalnog religioznog antijevrejstva. Metoda kojom se autor služi u deskripciji antisemitizma u međuratnoj Jugoslaviji je analiza sadržaja arhivske građe, kao i sekundarnih izvora. Osnovna teza članka je da se u Kraljevini Jugoslaviji antisemitizam javljao na nivou ubeđenja (pritajena individualna mržnja koja se nikada ne iskazuje otvoreno) i osećanja (etnička i religiozna distanca spram Jevreja). U vrijeme fašizacije Evrope i jačanja utjecaja Njemačke i Italije na unutrašnje odnose u Jugoslaviji, ova dinamika antisemitizma zadobila je nivo akcije, prvo kao sastavni dio ideologije vodećih političkih stranaka, a zatim kao mere državno-pravne diskriminacije prema Jevrejima (»Koroščevi zakoni«). Na taj način, zaključuje autor u trećem djelu članka, pripremljena je podloga za fizičku akciju u obliku genocida nad jugoslavenskim Jevrejima do kojeg je došlo u svim djelovima okupirane zemlje tokom drugog svetskog rata.The author follows the scheme of the dynamics of anti-Semitism of the book Christian Beliefs and Antisemitism by Glock and Stark in his analysis of the phenomenon of anti-Semitism in Yugoslavia from 1919 to 1945. Besides, a distinction is made between modern political anti-Semitism and traditional religious anti-Judaism on the basis of Hanna Arendt’s premise. The method applied by author in his description of anti-Semitism in Yugoslavia between two world wars consists of the contents analysis of public records (archives) and secondary sources. The basic assertion of the article is the following: anti-Semitism was manifested on the level of convictions (suppressed individual hatred which was never openly displayed) and feelings (ethnical and religious reserve towards the Jews) in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During the period of the fascistization of Europe and of the increased influence of Germany and Italy on internal affairs in Yugoslavia, the dynamics of anti-Semitism expanded into the level of action, at first as a component of the ideology of the dominant political parties, and consequently as governmental and leval measures of discrimination with respect to Jews (»the statutes of Korošec «). In such a manner, as the author concludes in the third part of the article, the foundation of the physical action against the Yugoslav Jews in the form of genocide had been prepared, and it was carried out throughout the occupied country during the World War Second

The changing role of historic town of Rhodes in the scenario of Ottoman and Italian rules in the light of the iconographic sources

International audienceRhodes was the Hospitaller stronghold until the early modern age. It went through an urban and architectural evolution under the Ottoman and Italian rules. Iconography until the twentieth century shows the search for medieval souvenirs in the Islamic town, the creation of a travel destination and the shifting of the symbolic-geographic idea of city, linked to a new attitude towards built heritage. We will trace the changing role of the historic town in Turkish and Italian ideology and practice

Critical feminist psychology from the semipheric southwest of Europe : the intriguing case of Portugal

Buscamos explorar en este texto los desarrollos en el campo de la psicología crítica feminista en Portugal. Haciendo uso de una narrativa figura-fondo, pondremos en contraste estos desarrollos con la hegemonía de la psicología mainstream en Portugal. En la primera sección, contextualizamos la psicología en Portugal histórica y sociológicamente. En la segunda, exploramos las que están consideradas como las mejores prácticas en la investigación en este campo en Portugal, usando algunos textos meta -analíticos sobre investigación psicológica llevados a cabo en este país. En la última sección, nos centramos en la perspectiva feminista crítica y sus desarrollos, un desarrollo particular de la psicología crítica en el país. Este texto explora lo que significa hacer psicología en este contexto específico y deconstruye algunas de las asunciones de la cientifización de la Psicología. Por lo tanto, abordamos tanto la producción de la psicología mainstream como el desarrollo específico de la crítica, nutrida por epistemologías feministas. Estos enfoques en psicología contextualizarán estas prácticas en la posición semiperiférica que ocupa Portugal dentro de la producción psicológica.In this piece we aim to explore the developments in the field of critical feminist psychology in Portugal. Using a figure-ground narrative, we will contrast these developments with the hegemony of neuropsychology and cognitive psychology that are dominating the mainstream (Unger, 1998) of the discipline in Portugal and abroad. We are going to tell this story from a feminist perspective using deconstruction and genealogy as theoretical levers with which we aim to clarify the workings of power/knowledge at st ake in this context. Therefore this text is in itself an act of resistance to an even more reductionist psychology focusing now on cerebral mechanisms and their apparent correlation with mental phenomena. A situated knowledge epistemology (Haraway, 1991) combined with an approach that will focus on the contingent foundations of these practices (Butler, 1992) will be the epistemological standpoint from where this paper departs

The School Museum as a Catalyst for a Renewal of the Teaching of History of Education. Practices and experiences from the University of Macerata (Italy)

The article analyzes the educational activities which, since its creation, the School Museum of the University of Macerata has developed with particular regard to the audience of university students. As a result of a fruitful synthesis of the most recent trends in historical-educational research, history teaching and heritage education, the current educational activities delivered by the museum offer an opportunity to rethink the teaching of the history of education itself, from many points of view: first, by developing more operational and participatory ways to convey the contents and methodology of the discipline; secondly, by promoting the museum environment as a laboratory for developing transversal teaching competences, which are crucial for today educators; and, finally, by making school history "tangible" and closer to a wider audience and, so, strengthening the importance and role of education in society