Racism in Italy: A Talk in English at CEA

 

Racism in Italy will be the subject of an upcoming lecture in English by Dr. Mackda Ghebremariam Tesfau at the CEA-CAPA Study Center, piazza della Repubblica 6, on September 19, starting at 7 pm. The talk is titled, “Between Colonial Removal and Xenoracism. Talking about Race in Italy.” Admission is free, but you must reserve a spot by emailing mfrancioso@ceacapa.com. There will be refreshments for guests.

The premise of the talk is that Italy portrays itself as a country without a racist past (aside from its fascist episode) when in reality this is not the case. According to the speaker, Italian identity was built along racial lines. Colonialism persists as an aspect of Italy’s past, even if modern Italy has attempted to hide it. The removal of aspects of colonialism in Italy, originating at a time in history when Italy found it just to take control of several non-European countries and people will be examined. From this point, the speaker will attempt to provide a more accurate picture of Italy’s power dynamics and how xenoracism pertains to Italian institutions and culture. The speaker is Dr. Mackda Ghebremariam Tesfau, a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and adjunct professor at the IUAV University of Venice, Stanford Florence, NYU Florence, and the University of Padua  (Daniel J. Capobianco)