This essay examines Italian palii and historical reenactments as urban festive events and as forms of contemporary popular culture. Focusing mainly on Tuscany, it traces their transformation from medieval and early modern agonistic festivities to their decline in the nineteenth century and revival under Fascism, when folklore and civic ritual were used for mass consensus. After the war, however, these events were reappropriated by local civil society and became spaces of sociability, participation and civic identity. The article also discusses the recent influence of historical reenactment, heritage policies and UNESCO-inspired notions of “heritage communities”, stressing the tension between popular vitality and institutionalization. .
Palii e rievocazioni storiche nella cultura del Novecento
Fabio Dei
2025-01-01
Abstract
This essay examines Italian palii and historical reenactments as urban festive events and as forms of contemporary popular culture. Focusing mainly on Tuscany, it traces their transformation from medieval and early modern agonistic festivities to their decline in the nineteenth century and revival under Fascism, when folklore and civic ritual were used for mass consensus. After the war, however, these events were reappropriated by local civil society and became spaces of sociability, participation and civic identity. The article also discusses the recent influence of historical reenactment, heritage policies and UNESCO-inspired notions of “heritage communities”, stressing the tension between popular vitality and institutionalization. .I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
