55527 - STORIA CONTEMPORANEA

The aim of the course is to introduce students to in-depth knowledge of the main aspects of the processes of secularization and the spread of civil rights, the study of the family institution, society and the relationship between State and Church in the 20th century. The aim of the course also is to provide the fundamental methodological tools of the discipline, to develop students' critical spirit and their ability to expound fully and articulately what they have learned. By the end of the course, students will be able: to identify the main elements that differentiate historical knowledge of the period and contemporary issues from that offered by other social sciences; to distinguish the main stages of the processes of secularization in the West, analyzed in its political, religious, cultural and social aspects; to know the basic features of the relationships between the religious world, the (catholic) political world, and secular society, in a vision not domestic but European; to have adequate knowledge of family history in the 20th century; to understand the evolution and retreat on the civil rights front in the twentieth century, with a constant interplay of achievements and conflicts; to know the main aspects and events of two important "case studies" on the phenomenon of secularization in Italy, the Divorce and Abortion Act (laws) during the 1970s; to have learned key elements for understanding the phenomena of secularism, religious intransigence, cultural, political and religious mediation carried out by parties, movements, associations; to understand the major issues of Church-State relations in Italy and Europe.

The course will be conducted through a series of face-to-face lectures, in which historiographical debates on various issues will be focused on, historical sources will be analyzed, and materials such as anthologies of historiographical texts and films will be used. The method used to construct the course and convey its contents to students consists first of all of incorporating into the basic general structure, in-depth critical reading of specific monographs and various historiographical sources. Students will have to learn as much to connect the two levels, the general and the monographic, as to go deep inside the monographs, to grasp the specificity of historical interpretations on certain themes and contexts.

Course attendance is recommended but optional.

The course will open with some preparatory lectures on the meaning of secularization and laicism in the 20th century and the role of family, society, Church and State on the issue of civil rights in Italy and Europe. Some nodes pertaining to national and European history in the relations between the religious, political and social worlds will then be examined, with attention to continuities and discontinuities in historiographical debate. The course will address some of the major events in 20th-century history, with particular attention to the following pivotal moments:

1. Religion and laicism in Europe in the XX century

2. Family and civil rights: a comparative history

3. Relationship between State and Church in the XX century

4. Two "case studies" on secularization: the Divorce and Abortion Act (laws) in Italy in the 1970s.

Bibliography : (2 monographs of your choise)

- René Rémond, La secolarizzazione. Religione e società nell'Europa contemporanea, Roma-Bari, Laterza 2003 (or later editions) ;

- Marzio Barbagli, David I. Kertzer, Storia della famiglia in Europa, Roma-Bari, Laterza 2005 (or l. e.) ;

- Guido Verucci, La Chiesa cattolica in Italia dall'unità ad oggi, Roma-Bari, Laterza 1999 (or l. e.) ;

- Giuseppe Battelli, Società, Stato e Chiesa in Italia, Roma, Carocci 2013 (or l. e.) ;

- Daniele Menozzi, Chiesa e diritti umani, Bologna, Il Mulino 2012 (or l. e.) ;

- Stefano Rodotà, Diritti e libertà nella storia d'Italia, Roma, Donzelli 2011 (or l. e.) ;

- Sergio Lariccia, Battaglie di libertà. Democrazia e diritti civili in Italia, Roma, Carocci 2011 (or l. e.) ;

- Giambattista Scirè, Il divorzio in Italia. Partiti, Chiesa, società civile dalla legge al referendum, Milano, B. Mondadori 2007 (or l. e.);

- Fiamma Lussana, L'Italia del divorzio. La battaglia tra Stato, Chiesa e gente comune, Roma, Carocci 2014 (or l. e.) ;

- G. Scirè, L'aborto in Italia. Storia di una legge, Milano, B. Mondadori 2008 (or l. e.) .

Students will be examined by means of an oral exam on the topics covered in class, on the analysis of documents, anthologies and historiographical sources provided in class, and on volumes selected from the bibliography. The aim is to assess students’ achievement of the expected learning outcomes. Students will be required to demonstrate an suitable historical understanding of the topics on the syllabus, to be able to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions with regard to the main issues addressed in the course. Rather than focusing on general (notionistic) concepts, the exam will specifically assess the ability to think and reason in a historical way. Students will be asked at least three questions.

Evaluation grid for Contemporary History exams :

- The student's possession of good critical and in-depth skills, the ability to link together the main themes addressed in the course, the use of appropriate language with respect to the specificity of the discipline will result, during the examination, in evaluations of excellence (30/30 with high honors).

- The student's possession of mnemonic knowledge of the content, relative critical and linking skills among the topics covered, and use of appropriate language will result in fair evaluations (29-25).

- The student's attainment of minimal knowledge on the topics covered (although there are some formative gaps), use of inappropriate language will result in sufficient evaluations (24-18).

The student's difficulty in orientation on the topics covered in the examination texts, formative gaps, use of inappropriate language will result in negative evaluations (failed exam).

What does the word "secularization" mean?

What are the stages of the secularization process in the 19th and 20th centuries?

How does the relationship between religion and society change at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries?

What does secularity of the state mean?

How did the relationship between church and state in Europe evolve during the 20th century?

What are the main transformations in European family structures in the 20th century?

What are the characteristics of new types of families in Western countries?

What is the relationship between family, state and society in totalitarianisms?

Why did the referendum on divorce threaten to split Italian society in two?

What was the political and cultural debate that led to the passage of the abortion law in Italy?

What are the most significant moments that mark the history of rights and freedom in Italy in the 20th century?

How is the idea of public schooling reconciled in Italy with the teaching of religion under the Concordat?

What are the so-called "fourth generation" rights?