Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
ancient Rome (fogu 2003, 23). Claudio fogu found this definition useful as he
attempted to explain how an idea of Rome operated in the fascist understanding
of history. fascist history, according to fogu, was structurally dependent upon
a break with the past. he argued that fascism did not seek a continuation of
classical Roman identity within a fascist context. instead, it sought to use Rome,
through
romanità,
to lessen the influence of a modern, linear view of history
among italians. in other words, fascism used a concept of history that aimed
at diminishing the conceptual import of the metanarratives creative of modern
political subjects (fogu 2003, 20-23).
tracy Koon (1985), meanwhile, was less concerned about the functioning of
history and historiography during the fascist era. instead, he linked
romanità
first with liberal risorgimento thinkers and their desire to find a unifying dis-
course for all peoples of the peninsula. second, he pursued
romanità
through
to the fascist period to show how then, as well, the greatness of Rome's imperial
power was glorified as a unifying discourse. Thus, contrary to fogu (2003), he
presented
romanità
as a narrative that created links between the classical and
modern periods. by focusing more upon mussolini's speeches and the symbolic
finery of fascism, Koon understood
romanità
as a powerful tool in mussolini's
drive to create, via fascism, a Third Rome. indeed, part of the power of
romanità
was that as a discourse it demonstrated the supposed classical origins of fascism
(Koon 1985, 19).
for Julius evola,
romanità
is a suprahistorical agent. he acknowledged that
the radical left perpetuated an idea that
romanità
was “antihistorical” in that it
motivated attachment to ideology at the expense of commitment to class conflict
and was thus an example of irrational reaction to historical dialectical processes
(evola 2002, 181). even as he used the antihistorical concept to attack the liber-
alization of the world, however, he described Rome and
romanità
in Nietzsche's
terms. There are immutable principles, he said, that have been useful in creating
ascending cultural forms. These principles can only be found by looking toward
the past, toward tradition. in his words, “tradition is neither servile conformity
to what has been, nor a sluggish perpetuation of the past into the present. [it] is
something simultaneously meta-historical and dynamic: it is an overall ordering
force, in the service of principles that have the chrism of a superior legitimacy”
(evola 2002, 115).
Romanità
has value, then, for evola, because it does not seek to reestablish
the institutions of classical Rome, but the principles of which such institutions
were expressions. some of the principles to which evola attributed so much pow-
er were inherent in the Roman cultural and psychological characteristics to be
striven for in the present. These were self-control; enlightened boldness; concise
speech and determined and coherent conduct; a cold and dominating attitude;
virile spirit and courage; spiritual strength; thoughtfulness and awareness; love
for self-given law and form; loyalty and faithfulness; studied and moderated se-
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