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English Department William J. and Yvonne Hyde Colloquium 2019-20

Dr. Louis Zamparutti of the English Department will present "The Basovizza Monument: Homage to Populism (and Fascism) or Agent for Social Change?" from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Friday 21 in Wimberly 104. 

This presentation examines the intersection of populism, nationalism and social change in public rhetorics. Her case study is the Foiba di Basovizza, a monument in northeastern Italy. She argues that the monument is a persuasive agent that constructs history and identity in ways that advance a nationalist and populist agenda, yet it also works as a catalyst for protest and social change. The monument commemorates victims of mass killings conducted by communist partisans at the end of World War II and presents these killings as “ethnic cleansing” of Italians by Slavs. Despite evidence that the majority of victims were Slovenians and Croatians, the monument invokes fear of ethnic annihilation of Italians, re-defines Fascism as nationalism, and enacts a notion of pure-blood Italian identity and territorial right to areas of Slovenia and Croatia that were occupied by Italy during WW II. She examines the agential tension between human actors (the monument’s creators and proponents, political leaders, and protesters), the physical elements of the monument, and contextual political forces, and show how the monument eschews scientific evidence and instead deploys rhetorical proofs of ethos, pathos, and logos in order to enact a particular rendition of “truth.” However, the site is also an instigator of social change, inspiring anti-populist protests calling for more multinational and ethnically complex understandings of European identity. This case study provides a unique look at how physical structures are forms of persuasive discourse, and this analysis might inform the way we, as instructors and researchers, can approach analyses of the intersections of public discourse, political motivations, and ethical action.

The event is open to the public.

 

When

Past occurrences (1)

  • 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, 2020

Where

104 Wimberly Hall

UWL campus map for building location and nearby parking lots.

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Wimberly Hall

Contact

For questions about this event or to request disability accommodations , contact Lei Zhang at 608.785.6938 or lzhang@uwlax.edu.

Parking

Payment may be required. No permit?
Use Passport Parking.

Additional parking info
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