Giorgio Caravale's 'Senza Intellettuali' examines the rift between Italian politics and intellectuals
Giorgio Caravale, a scholar at Roma Tre University, has released 'Senza Intellettuali. Politica e cultura in Italia negli ultimi trent'anni' (Laterza, 168 pp., €18), in which he contends that intellectuals in Italy have faced marginalization since Silvio Berlusconi's ascent in the 1990s. He examines this trend beginning with the 1997 Gargonza gathering. While the center-left embraced extreme viewpoints, Berlusconi declared in 2001 a preference for television figures over intellectuals. The Lega Nord and Alleanza Nazionale have also shown anti-intellectual sentiments, with notable comments from Gianfranco Miglio and Maurizio Gasparri. Caravale highlights academia's retreat into 'ivory towers' and the reduction of technical governments, ultimately urging a transformation in both politics and academia.
Key facts
- Giorgio Caravale is a professor of modern history at Roma Tre University.
- The book 'Senza Intellettuali' is published by Laterza, 168 pages, €18.
- The divorce between politics and intellectuals began in the late 1990s.
- In 1997, the Ulivo coalition convened 70 politicians and 50 intellectuals at the castle of Gargonza.
- Berlusconi stated in 2001 he felt more awe of TV personalities than intellectuals.
- Gianfranco Miglio of Lega Nord compared intellectuals to snails needing purging.
- Maurizio Gasparri of Alleanza Nazionale said one less professor is one less fool.
- Beppe Grillo called intellectuals 'ghosts who don't touch the ball in the real world.'
- Matteo Renzi made venomous comments about intellectuals while selecting Baricco and Recalcati.
- Caravale argues academia has become self-referential and hyper-specialized.
- The book notes the decline of technical governments with cultural figures like Ciampi, Visentini, Reviglio, and Prodi.
- Caravale calls for politics to abandon prejudice and academia to break corporatist logic.
Entities
Artists
- Giorgio Caravale
- Silvio Berlusconi
- Romano Prodi
- Nanni Moretti
- Saverio Vertone
- Lucio Colletti
- Vittorio Mathieu
- Bettino Craxi
- Mike Buongiorno
- Raimondo Vianello
- Vittorio Sgarbi
- Maurizio Costanzo
- Umberto Bossi
- Gianfranco Miglio
- Matteo Salvini
- Maurizio Gasparri
- Beppe Grillo
- Matteo Renzi
- Alessandro Baricco
- Massimo Recalcati
- Renato Guttuso
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
- Bruno Visentini
- Franco Reviglio
- Charles de Gaulle
- Luigi Einaudi
- Giulio Carlo Argan
- Massimo Cacciari
- Ludovico Pratesi
Institutions
- Roma Tre University
- Laterza
- Ulivo
- Forza Italia
- Lega Nord
- Alleanza Nazionale
- Five Star Movement
- Artribune
Locations
- Italy
- Gargonza
- Bari