Myth and Memory in the Mediterranean: Remembering Fascism's Empire by Nicholas Doumanis

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Synopsis

This book examines the relationship between coloniser and colonised among the Italian-held Dodecanese Islands between 1912 and 1943, and is based on an oral history project conducted between 1990 and 1995. Italian power is described as having been negotiated, resisted and modified by locals, who admired many aspects of Italian rule without according the regime any legitimacy. This ethnographic history challenges standard views on Italian colonialism and Greek nationalism, and reflects on contemporary questions regarding historical memory, political culture and social identity.

Booknews

Investigates the discrepancy between oral and written works on the island of Rhodes<-->the islanders have retained nostalgic memories of the Italians, while local writers describe the Italian period as a time of unrelenting barbarity, exploitation and corruption. Doumanis (U. of Newcastle, Australia) proceeds to deal with larger questions, such as the politics of Italian colonialism, national and regional identities, the complexities of social memory, the bases of Greek nationalist and proto-nationalist mentalities, and the value of analyzing colonialism from below. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Biography

'This subtle and complex picture of a neglected period in Greek and Italian history deserves a wide readership beyond Mediterranean studies, and will reward anyone grappling with questions of nationalism, history 'from below' and the social production of historical memory. It not only fills in the gaps of previous histories, but creates a distinctive historical vision.' - David Sutton, South European Society & Politics'...use oral accounts of 'everyday life' under Italian colonial rule in the Greek Dodecanese islands, from 1912-1943...this is a provocative and challenging piece of historical research.' - N.E.Carter, History