Italian Women at War: Sisters in Arms from Unification to the Twentieth Century offers diverse perspectives on Italian women's participation in war and conflict throughout Italy's modern history, contributing to the ongoing scholarly conversation on this topic. Part one of the book focuses on heroines who fought for Italy's Unification and on the anti-heroines, or brigantesse, who opposed such a momentous change. Part two considers exceptional individuals, such as Eva Kuhn Amendola, who combatted both with her body and her pen, as well as collective female efforts during the world wars, whether military or civilian. In part three, where the context is twentieth-century society, the focus shifts to those women engaged in less conventional conflicts who resorted to different forms of revolt, including active non-violence. All of the women presented across these chapters engage in combat to protest a particular state of affairs and effect change, yet their weapons range from the literal, like Peppa La Cannoniera's cannon, to the metaphorical, like Letizia Battaglia's camera. Several of the essays in this volume discuss fictional heroines who appear in works of literature and film, though all are based on actual women and reference real historical contexts. Italian Women at War furthers the efforts begun decades ago to recognize Italian women combatants, especially in light of the recent anniversary of the Unification in 2011 and global discussions regarding the role of women in the military. Its aim is not to glorify violence and war, but to celebrate the active role of Italian women in the evolution of their nation and to demystify the idea of the woman warrior, who has always been viewed either as an extraordinary, almost mythical creature or as an affront to the traditional feminine identity.
Introduction: Italy's Sisters in Arms Susan Amatangelo Part I: The Unification of Italy 1 One in a Mille: Countess Martini Della Torre Benedetta Gennaro 2 Peppa La Cannoniera: Citizenship in Action Giovanna Summerfield 3 "Sono briganta, io, non donna di brigante": The Female Brigand's Search for Identity Susan Amatangelo Part II: The Two World Wars 4 Women at War: Eva Kuhn Amendola (Magamal) - Interventionist, Futurist, Fascist Lucia Re 5 "We will build a better world together": Female Partisans' Memories of Their Resistance to Fascism (1943-1945) Fiona M. Stewart 6 Where Women Meet Resistance: Fenoglio's War Narratives Daria Valentini Part III: State Terrorism and the Mafia 7 A Sister Without Arms: The Myth of Antigone in Liliana Cavani's The Cannibals Stefania Benini 8 Fighting Cosa Nostra with the Camera's Eye: Letizia Battaglia's Evolving Icons of "Traumatic Realism" Norma Bouchard About the Editor and Contributors Index
