Resisting the Tide : The Berlusconi Years

Focussing on his term as Prime Minister from 2001-06, this scholarly volume provides the first assessment of how the neo-conservative values attributed to Berlusconi were contested and resisted by a variety of groups. The continuing influence of the controversial figure of Silvio Berlusconi on contemporary Italian life, culture and politics is beyond question. Focussing on his term as Prime Minister, this volume assesses how the neo-conservative values attributed to Berlusconi were contested and resisted by social/minority movements, intellectuals (radical and moderate) and media practitioners. Edited by members of the Centre for European Languages and Cultures at the University of Birmingham, and bringing together academics in Britain, Ireland, the US and Italy, it has an international perspective. Analysis investigates how resistance to the new conservative culture has been articulated, and how this has been expressed and explained by those involved. This interdisciplinary volume is divided into three (overlapping) areas: contemporary Italian politics (including the evolution of left and right, unions vs government; the G8 in Genoa and the anti-war movement); cultural texts (including films and documentaries, television programmes, novels and theatre; and experiences (the voices and practices of those who have opposed neo-conservative values from within the cultural industries and identity movements). Wide-ranging, innovative and challenging, this volume should appeal to all those who have an interest in Italy, in politics, in culture and cultural studies.