Introduction

Savettieri and Pedriali assess various features and possible applications of cultural mobilization in the First World War and present the theoretical framework underpinning the eight chapters included in the book. Mobilization is tackled as a phenomenon of identity formation and de-formation that unfolded at various sites of the circuit of culture and cannot be simply identified with consensus or top-down processes of cultural production. Presenting the contents of the book, the authors discuss diverse facets of cultural mobilization including: political engagement and its intertwining with artistic practices; the relationship between male identity and combat; conceptual frameworks and paradigms set in motion by WWI mobilization; remembrance practices as mobilizing processes.