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Paper short abstract:

In Florence, the Anthropological sciences formalized from 1929 a dangerous liaison with the Fascist Totalitarian State that turned them into instruments of internal and colonial politics. This paper focuses on how this co-operation was applied and re-interpreted by Florentines in everyday practices

Paper long abstract:

In 1929 Florence hosted the First National Congress of Popular Traditions, commissioned by the Center for Advanced Studies of the Fascist Institute of Culture. On the banks of the Arno, the Anthropological sciences formalized a dangerous liaison with the Fascist Totalitarian State that turned them into instruments of internal and colonial politics. In fact, both the study of folklore and that of races contributed to the building of consensus.

But how was perceived this co-operation by the Florentines? In which way was it applied in everyday lives? In Florence, the capillarity of the propaganda was often intertwined with playful and cultural events set in popular "Case del Fascio". Very important was the role played by art exhibitions and events, newspapers, and magazines, including "Il Bargello" and "Lares". Lidio Cipriani's racism, for example, reached a larger audience thanks to the showcases of the local Museum of Anthropology, not thanks to his writings.

More generally, the National Recreational Club (Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro) promoted traditions capable of "highlighting the psychological profile and the popular characteristics of a city or an entire region". Alessandro Pavolini, Florentine Minister of Popular Culture, promoted various forms of cultural and traditional re-enactment (from historical football to crafts) useful to support a "foreigner industry" that still marks the image of the city.

This paper aims at exploring the social practices used to build Fascist consensus in connection with Anthropology and Folklore Studies in Florence during the Ventennio Fascista and how they were re-interpreted by the local population.