"Mafia: The History of An Italian Myth
Guest Lectures
•
1h 4m
Mafia-type organizations in Italy continue to not only survive but thrive in the present day despite the attempts by the Italian State to combat the phenomenon. One of the major obstacles to fighting the mafia is the persistence of social acceptance and support for these organizations in communities across Sicily and Southern Italy. In this presentation, I will discuss how and why this is still happening and how cultural perceptions of the mafia have allowed the myths of mafiosi to endure in Italy and around the globe.
Dr. Nicholas Albanese is Associate Professor of Italian in the Department of Modern Language Studies at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. He received his PhD from Indiana University in Italian Language and Culture and has taught extensively on Italian history, literature, and film both in Italy and the US. Dr. Albanese does research mainly on contemporary Italian history and culture with particular focus on Southern Italy and Sicily. His most recent publication discusses the ethics of story-telling in the works of the Sicilian author, Leonardo Sciascia. He is currently completing a project on 21st-century Italian apocalyptic fiction.
Up Next in Guest Lectures
-
The Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo...
among the few masterpieces left to us by Leonardo da Vinci. Yet not much is known about the painting. Furthermore, for over 500 years, it was believed that the brownish monochrome look of the Adoration was the work of Leonardo. That is, until Maurizio Seracini’s in-depth scientific analysis of 20...
-
Belle Donne: Poets And Portraits
Renaissance women were immortalized in poetry and painting as “belle donne” or “beautiful women.” The 14th century poet Petrarch’s Laura inspired not just written poetry, but painted works by 16th century artists such as Giorgione and Titian. “Belle donne” appeared on canvases, ceramic dishes, an...
-
The Petrifying Effect: Beholding Cara...
In 1598, the Medusa by Caravaggio, today in the Uffizi Museum in Florence, was donated to the Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando de Medici by Cardinal del Monte. The cultivated Cardinal, true discoverer of Caravaggio’s talent and ambassador of the Medici family in Rome, knew that the Duke would have part...