Comic Fascism: Ideology, Catholicism, and Americanism in Italian Children's Periodicals

Comic Fascism: Ideology, Catholicism, and Americanism in Italian Children’s Periodicals

Description

Comics in Italy-produced by Fascists, conservatives, Catholics, and, after World War II, youth groups on the political left-promoted competing yet sometimes convergent visions for Italian society to children in the first half of the twentieth century. In Comic Fascism, Zane Elward dives deep into the archives to reveal how Italian comics reflected transformations within Italian society during Fascist rule (1922–45) and how conservative and Catholic circles were entangled with Mussolini’s agenda, normalizing and promoting it through their own periodicals. At the same time, he offers new interpretations of American comics, demonstrating that despite Italian suspicion of US culture, these comics often aligned with Fascism and were co-opted by its proponents. Elward also identifies the persistence of Fascist political ideas after the fall of the Fascist state and highlights growing tensions between the right and the left in the lead-up to the Cold War. Ultimately, Elward broadens previous temporal and cultural frames to offer fresh insights into the origins and long tail of Fascist indoctrination and how it remained at the heart of the ongoing quest to redefine Italian society.

Product Details

Publisher
Ohio State University Press
Publish Date
July 25, 2025
Format
Hardcover
ISBN-13
9780814215920
ISBN-10
0814215920
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Comic Fascism: Ideology, Catholicism, and Americanism in Italian Children's Periodicals

Comic Fascism: Ideology, Catholicism, and Americanism in Italian Children’s Periodicals

Description

Comics in Italy-produced by Fascists, conservatives, Catholics, and, after World War II, youth groups on the political left-promoted competing yet sometimes convergent visions for Italian society to children in the first half of the twentieth century. In Comic Fascism, Zane Elward dives deep into the archives to reveal how Italian comics reflected transformations within Italian society during Fascist rule (1922–45) and how conservative and Catholic circles were entangled with Mussolini’s agenda, normalizing and promoting it through their own periodicals. At the same time, he offers new interpretations of American comics, demonstrating that despite Italian suspicion of US culture, these comics often aligned with Fascism and were co-opted by its proponents. Elward also identifies the persistence of Fascist political ideas after the fall of the Fascist state and highlights growing tensions between the right and the left in the lead-up to the Cold War. Ultimately, Elward broadens previous temporal and cultural frames to offer fresh insights into the origins and long tail of Fascist indoctrination and how it remained at the heart of the ongoing quest to redefine Italian society.

Product Details

Publisher
Ohio State University Press
Publish Date
July 25, 2025
Format
Paperback
ISBN-13
9780814259528
ISBN-10
0814259529
Sold by
Ingram

This Title Is On These Shelves

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