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Italian Studies
Jewish Studies May 27, 2023

The Shamama Case

Contesting Citizenship Across the Modern Mediterranean

Jessica M. Marglin

Hosted by Geraldine Gudefin
In the winter of 1873, Nissim Shamama, a wealthy Jew from Tunisia, died suddenly in his palazzo in Livorno, Italy. His passing initiated a fierce lawsuit over his large estate …

Italian Studies

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Interviews with scholars of Italy about their new books.

Early Modern History May 26, 2023

In Fortune's Theater

Financial Risk and the Future in Renaissance Italy

Nicholas Scott Baker

Hosted by Michael Martoccio
In this episode, I was joined by Nicholas Scott Baker to discuss his book, In Fortune’s Theater: Financial Risk and the Future in Renaissance Italy (Cambridge University Press, 2021). Professor …
Medieval History May 23, 2023

Rome and the Invention of the Papacy

The Liber Pontificalis

Rosamond McKitterick

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
The remarkable, and permanently influential, papal history known as the Liber pontificalis shaped perceptions and the memory of Rome, the popes, and the many-layered past of both city and papacy …
General History May 23, 2023

Southern Europe in the Age of Revolutions

Maurizio Isabella

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
After the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna’s attempt to guarantee peace and stability across Europe, a new revolutionary movement emerged in the southern peripheries …
Military History May 20, 2023

Dagger Fencing

The Italian School

Carlo Parisi

Hosted by Boris Karpa
Today, fighting with dagger versus dagger, or with knife versus knife, is not a common scenario that people might expect to face. However, it was more common in the Middle …
Art May 13, 2023

Curating Fascism

Exhibitions and Memory from the Fall of Mussolini to Today

Sharon Hecker and Raffaele Bedarida

Hosted by Pierre d'Alancaisez
On the centenary of the fascist party's ascent to power in Italy, Curating Fascism: Exhibitions and Memory from the Fall of Mussolini to Today (Bloomsbury, 2022) examines the ways in which exhibitions …
Early Modern History May 11, 2023

An Artful Relic

The Shroud of Turin in Baroque Italy

Andrew R. Casper

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh
In 1578, a fourteen-foot linen sheet bearing the faint bloodstained imprint of a human corpse was presented to tens of thousands of worshippers in Turin, Italy, as one of the …
Indian Religions May 4, 2023

Saint Joseph in South India

Poetry, Mission and Theology in Costanzo Gioseffo Beschi's Tēmpāvaṇi

Francis Xavier Clooney

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Costanzo Gioseffo Beschi was an Italian Jesuit who worked in South India from 1710 to 1747. A brilliant scholar of Tamil, his works include hymns, instructions for catechists, and a …
Italian Studies April 27, 2023

Torquato Tasso and the Desire for Unity

'Jerusalem Delivered' and a New Theory of the Epic

Corrado Confalonieri

Hosted by Kate Driscoll
A form at the origins of Western literature, the epic has always been theorized in contrast to other literary genres, those that would either perfect it (such as tragedy, according …
Early Modern History April 23, 2023

Murder and Madness on Trial

A Tale of True Crime from Early Modern Bologna

Mònica Calabritto

Hosted by Jana Byars
Monica Calabritto of Hunter College talks to us today about her new book, Murder and Madness on Trial: A Tale of True Crime from Early Modern Bologna, out this year …
Economic and Business History April 16, 2023

The Venice Arsenal

Between History, Heritage, and Re-use

Luca Zan

Hosted by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo
The Venice Arsenal: Between History, Heritage, and Re-Use (Routledge, 2022) reviews four decades of debate about restoring an industrial heritage site of inestimable value - the Venice Arsenal. Focusing on …
Food April 14, 2023

The Eternal City

Recipes and Stories from Rome

Maria Pasquale

Hosted by Laura Goldberg
Roman blogger and author Maria Pasquale introduces us to Rome’s incredible food through the city’s stories and its people. The Eternal City is a maze of winding cobblestone streets, where …
Intellectual History April 13, 2023

The Italian Renaissance and the Origin of the Humanities

An Intellectual History, 1400-1800

Christopher S. Celenza

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh
Christopher Celenza is one of the foremost contemporary scholars of the Renaissance. His ambitious new book The Italian Renaissance and the Origin of the Humanities: An Intellectual History, 1400-1800 (Cambridge UP …
Medieval History April 10, 2023

A Female Apostle in Medieval Italy

The Life of Clare of Rimini

Jacques Dalarun, Valerio Cappozzo, and Sean L. Field

Hosted by Jana Byars
A Female Apostle in Medieval Italy: The Life of Clare of Rimini (U Pennsylvania Press, 2022) centers on a fascinating woman, Clare of Rimini (c. 1260 to c. 1324–29), whose story …
Van Leer Institute Series on Ideas with Renee Garfinkel April 6, 2023

The Pope at War

The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler

David I. Kertzer

Hosted by Renee Garfinkel
When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, his papers were sealed in the Vatican Secret Archives, leaving unanswered questions about what he knew and did during World War II. Those …
Film April 4, 2023

Italian Political Cinema

Figure of the Long '68

Mauro Resmini

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh
Traditionally, the definition of political cinema assumes a relationship between cinema and politics. In contrast to this view, author Mauro Resmini sees this relationship as an impasse. To illustrate this …
Food March 22, 2023

Italy on a Plate

Travels, Memories, Menus

Susan Gravely

Hosted by Laura Goldberg
In her debut memoir and cookbook, Susan Gravely celebrates 40 years as Founder and Creative Director of VIETRI. In Italy on a Plate: Travels, Memories, Menus (Vietri Publishing, 2023), she …
Italian Studies March 3, 2023

Migrants Shaping Europe, Past and Present

Multilingual Literatures, Arts, and Cultures

Helen Solterer and Vincent Joos

Hosted by Kate Driscoll
Helen Solterer and Vincent Joos edited volume Migrants Shaping Europe, Past and Present: Multilingual Literatures, Arts, and Cultures (Manchester UP, 2022) examines the sustained contribution of migrants to Europe’s literatures, social …
Italian Studies March 2, 2023

Veronica Franco in Dialogue

Marilyn Migiel

Hosted by Kate Driscoll
Since the late twentieth century, the Venetian courtesan Veronica Franco has been viewed as a triumphant proto-feminist icon: a woman who celebrated her sexuality, an outspoken champion of women and …
Jewish Studies February 28, 2023

Anna and Tranquillo

Catholic Anxiety and Jewish Protest in the Age of Revolutions

Kenneth R. Stow

Hosted by Ari Barbalat
Today I talked to Kenneth R. Stow about his book Anna and Tranquillo: Catholic Anxiety and Jewish Protest in the Age of Revolutions (Yale UP, 2016). After being seized by the papal …