Eccentricity and Sameness: Lesbian Cultural Identity in Italy, 1883 to the present day.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Languages Cultures Art History & Music
Abstract
Subject: This project focuses on the cultural representation of female same-sex and lesbian desire and identity in Italian texts, from 1883 to the present day.
Context: Recent decades have seen significant changes in legislation on and attitudes towards homosexuality in many western countries. There is a growing body of research on lesbian and gay cultures, both contemporary and historical, but not all cultural contexts have yet been studied in detail; for example, the status and representation of lesbians in Italian culture has received very little critical attention. In Italy, as elsewhere, lesbians have historically been condemned as perverted, marginalised, or simply unacknowledged due to perceptions of lesbianism as socially unacceptable or unspeakable. As a result, they have featured in Italian literature and film as objects of derision. However, we can also identify a strand of writing and representation that seeks to make visible and to celebrate same-sex love between women, especially since the 1960s. Cultural representation has long held great significance for lesbians, as for other sexual minorities, because of its potential to express and make visible desires and identities that mainstream culture had traditionally ignored or vilified. This project is an innovative study that will fill an enduring void in scholarship on this issue
Aims: The main aim of this project is to research the cultural representation of female same-sex love and desire, and lesbian identities in Italian novels, films, and more contemporary texts such as websites, in order to understand the characteristics of this representation and the ways in which it has changed over time. The time period covered by the project is from the late nineteenth century, the moment when early sexologists began to study and categorise same-sex practices, to the present day. Research will identify and analyse cultural texts, using an innovative critical and theoretical framework. There are three main research questions:
1) what terms are used to describe same-sex love and desire in these texts? In particular, what forms of 'difference' (perceived or actual) are identified?
2) when, where and how did 'lesbian' identities emerge and develop in Italian culture, and how has the term 'lesbian' been used in cultural texts?
3) within Italian cultural representation, how have lesbian situated themselves in relation to evolving understandings of female sexuality in the broader socio-cultural context; for example, how have they responded to claims that lesbians are 'abnormal'? What kinds of 'differences' or similarities, 'sameness' are evoked?
Through this research, the project will raise awareness of and enable discussion on these issues within academic and activist communities, as well as among the general public.
Outputs: a book in English; a journal article in English; conference papers; university teaching material; talks to the general public and to LGBT communities both in the UK and Italy, made available as a podcast; articles on Italian websites in Italian. This will ensure that the research is disseminated widely in both Anglophone and Italophone contexts.
Progress: The research is already underway. I am currently consulting relevant resources in UK libraries. Research will be continued in archives and libraries in Italy. I will discuss the research regularly with academic colleagues as well as with LGBT communities, whose input will contribute to shaping the project.
Context: Recent decades have seen significant changes in legislation on and attitudes towards homosexuality in many western countries. There is a growing body of research on lesbian and gay cultures, both contemporary and historical, but not all cultural contexts have yet been studied in detail; for example, the status and representation of lesbians in Italian culture has received very little critical attention. In Italy, as elsewhere, lesbians have historically been condemned as perverted, marginalised, or simply unacknowledged due to perceptions of lesbianism as socially unacceptable or unspeakable. As a result, they have featured in Italian literature and film as objects of derision. However, we can also identify a strand of writing and representation that seeks to make visible and to celebrate same-sex love between women, especially since the 1960s. Cultural representation has long held great significance for lesbians, as for other sexual minorities, because of its potential to express and make visible desires and identities that mainstream culture had traditionally ignored or vilified. This project is an innovative study that will fill an enduring void in scholarship on this issue
Aims: The main aim of this project is to research the cultural representation of female same-sex love and desire, and lesbian identities in Italian novels, films, and more contemporary texts such as websites, in order to understand the characteristics of this representation and the ways in which it has changed over time. The time period covered by the project is from the late nineteenth century, the moment when early sexologists began to study and categorise same-sex practices, to the present day. Research will identify and analyse cultural texts, using an innovative critical and theoretical framework. There are three main research questions:
1) what terms are used to describe same-sex love and desire in these texts? In particular, what forms of 'difference' (perceived or actual) are identified?
2) when, where and how did 'lesbian' identities emerge and develop in Italian culture, and how has the term 'lesbian' been used in cultural texts?
3) within Italian cultural representation, how have lesbian situated themselves in relation to evolving understandings of female sexuality in the broader socio-cultural context; for example, how have they responded to claims that lesbians are 'abnormal'? What kinds of 'differences' or similarities, 'sameness' are evoked?
Through this research, the project will raise awareness of and enable discussion on these issues within academic and activist communities, as well as among the general public.
Outputs: a book in English; a journal article in English; conference papers; university teaching material; talks to the general public and to LGBT communities both in the UK and Italy, made available as a podcast; articles on Italian websites in Italian. This will ensure that the research is disseminated widely in both Anglophone and Italophone contexts.
Progress: The research is already underway. I am currently consulting relevant resources in UK libraries. Research will be continued in archives and libraries in Italy. I will discuss the research regularly with academic colleagues as well as with LGBT communities, whose input will contribute to shaping the project.
Planned Impact
Outside academia, two main constituencies will benefit from this research:
1) LGBT communities in Anglophone contexts as well as in Italy will benefit from both the 'academic' outputs (the monograph and the refereed article) and the 'non-academic' outputs; the contributions to Italian websites, talks to the general public, and the podcast. Academic outputs are helpful to LGBT activist organizations who may draw on them as authoritative sources that can inform campaigns for cultural visibility. Activist organisations in Italy such as Arcigay Arcilesbica (www.arcigay.it) argue that the rights of sexual minorities in Italy are not protected, and that successive Italian governments have ignored EU directives such as the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997 which advocated the introduction of proper anti-discrimination legislation in member states. These organisations have also condemned the current government, led by Silvio Berlusconi, for sanctioning homophobic discourses by political parties such as the Lega Nord, and institutions such as the Catholic Church. In this climate, research on sexual minorities can have a particular impact and significance, leading to an improved level of cultural visibility for these populations, as well as contributing to broader knowledge and understanding of their specificities. Research has shown how the increased cultural visibility of minorities can improve the quality of life for these communities and individuals. Moreover, research on sexual minorities may inform new legislation on civil rights. 'Non-academic' outputs are also of general interest to LGBT activist communities, as well as to LGBT communities more broadly, and will offer information and a critical perspective on cultural representation in Italian texts.
2) The general public. The monograph, talks to the public and podcast will be of interest to general audiences. They will make available information on an topic that is virtually undocumented in English, and supplement the small but growing number of studies on this issue in Italian. Some of the texts I will analyse are already available in English translation, and may subsequently be read by a broader Anglophone public (e.g. Dacia Maraini's 'Lettere a Marina' [Letters to Marina] (1981) was translated by Crossing Press in 1988).
Of the multiple planned outputs of the project, the ones most relevant to these beneficiaries are the monograph in English, the journal article, the web contributions in Italian, the discussions/public talks delivered to the LGBT and broader community in Birmingham and the surrounding area, and the podcast of the talk in Birmingham. The impact of the research will be felt before the monograph is published, since I plan to discuss my work with the LGBT communities in Birmingham in 2011, and make the podcast available by December 2011. I will also be able to post the Italian web articles online before the monograph is published, since this is instantaneous.
1) LGBT communities in Anglophone contexts as well as in Italy will benefit from both the 'academic' outputs (the monograph and the refereed article) and the 'non-academic' outputs; the contributions to Italian websites, talks to the general public, and the podcast. Academic outputs are helpful to LGBT activist organizations who may draw on them as authoritative sources that can inform campaigns for cultural visibility. Activist organisations in Italy such as Arcigay Arcilesbica (www.arcigay.it) argue that the rights of sexual minorities in Italy are not protected, and that successive Italian governments have ignored EU directives such as the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997 which advocated the introduction of proper anti-discrimination legislation in member states. These organisations have also condemned the current government, led by Silvio Berlusconi, for sanctioning homophobic discourses by political parties such as the Lega Nord, and institutions such as the Catholic Church. In this climate, research on sexual minorities can have a particular impact and significance, leading to an improved level of cultural visibility for these populations, as well as contributing to broader knowledge and understanding of their specificities. Research has shown how the increased cultural visibility of minorities can improve the quality of life for these communities and individuals. Moreover, research on sexual minorities may inform new legislation on civil rights. 'Non-academic' outputs are also of general interest to LGBT activist communities, as well as to LGBT communities more broadly, and will offer information and a critical perspective on cultural representation in Italian texts.
2) The general public. The monograph, talks to the public and podcast will be of interest to general audiences. They will make available information on an topic that is virtually undocumented in English, and supplement the small but growing number of studies on this issue in Italian. Some of the texts I will analyse are already available in English translation, and may subsequently be read by a broader Anglophone public (e.g. Dacia Maraini's 'Lettere a Marina' [Letters to Marina] (1981) was translated by Crossing Press in 1988).
Of the multiple planned outputs of the project, the ones most relevant to these beneficiaries are the monograph in English, the journal article, the web contributions in Italian, the discussions/public talks delivered to the LGBT and broader community in Birmingham and the surrounding area, and the podcast of the talk in Birmingham. The impact of the research will be felt before the monograph is published, since I plan to discuss my work with the LGBT communities in Birmingham in 2011, and make the podcast available by December 2011. I will also be able to post the Italian web articles online before the monograph is published, since this is instantaneous.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Charlotte Ross (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Gabriele T
(2016)
Eccentricity and Sameness. Discourses on Lesbianism and Desire between Women in Italy, 1860s-1930s
in Journal of Modern Italian Studies
Ross C
(2016)
"Donne nate male," "amicizie colpevoli" e quelle "profonde come una parentela." Marise Ferro's Queerly Desiring Women
in Italian Culture
Charlotte Ross
(2016)
'La carezza incompiuta': Queer Aesthetics, Desire, and Censorship in Ticchioni's <em>Il suicidio di un esteta</em>
in The Modern Language Review
Ross C
(2015)
Italian Sexualities Uncovered, 1789-1914
Ross, C
(2012)
Goliarda Sapienza's Eccentric Interruptions: Multiple selves, gender ambiguities and disrupted desires
in altrelettere
| Description | My research objectives were to document and analyse the representation of female same-sex love and desire in Italian cultural texts in order to understand the characteristics of this representation as it has evolved. The time period covered by the project was from the late nineteenth century to the present day. I analysed numerous texts representing desire between women which have received little or no critical attention, and discovered that, contrary to previous critical opinion, desire between women was represented in many works, including novels, poems and essays, even in the earlier part of this period, from the 1860s-1930s. Indeed, I discovered so many significant texts that I modified the chronology of the monographic study to focus on this period alone. Material gathered on the period from the 1940s onwards has led to 5 peer-reviewed publications that are already available or forthcoming in 2016: 3 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and two book chapters, one in English and one in Italian. I confirmed my hypothesis that cultural representations of women who desire women are marked by negotiations of sameness/difference. Some texts are concerned with whether such women are 'different' from heterosexual women, for example because they are perceived to belong to a separate sexual category. In some texts from the early twentieth century we can see the beginnings of a positively affirmed lesbian identity, that would not be articulated openly until the 1970s. Other texts explore perceived similarities between women who love women or between all women, with the implication that any woman might desire women, positing a continuum of sexuality as opposed to discrete categories (heterosexual/homosexual). While the vast majority of texts published between 1860s-1930s present desire between women as a sexual pathology, some offer much more positive narratives, and even argue for sexual emancipation. These texts are important precursors to post-1970s campaigns for sexual liberation, but many were censored or have been marginalised. The research shows that cultural discourses on desire between women in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were more numerous than previously thought, and were multiple and contradictory, offering both condemnation of female same-sex desire and affirmations of its legitimacy. More specifically, the research reveals that authors risked censorship in order to tackle this subject, that readers found these works helpful (especially during the Fascist period when homosexuality was extremely taboo), and that authors were using literature as a space in which to explore dissident socio-sexual identities that were stigmatised at the time of writing, but which they hoped would one day be accepted. Finally, the research identifies and documents intertextual connections between several genres and disciplines, from popular science to romantic novels, from psychiatry to erotica, as terminology and conceptions of sexuality and sexual identities were reiterated, modified, reinforced, parodied and deconstructed in a complex interplay of ideas. The research sheds new light on a forgotten chapter of Italy's sexual history, and has implications for understandings of cultural discourses and identities both during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and more recently. It also demonstrates the importance of tracing the movement of ideas and discourses across genres and fields of study. |
| Exploitation Route | The research may inspire further interest in same-sex desire, female sexuality or sexual identities in Italy on the part of academics, cultural practitioners, readers and activists. It may encourage contemporary readers to discover historical texts that have become marginalised; for example, the articles on Goliarda Sapienza are part of a cultural rediscovery of her life and work. The research publications challenge and supplement current understandings of the evolution of lesbian cultural identity in Italy, and open up many new avenues for reflection and debate. The methodology used may inspire more attention to the movement of discourses between texts, genres and disciplines, and an attention to the multiplicity of discourses on sexuality within texts. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://charlotterossresearch.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | Overview: The research has had a demonstrable impact in Italy, in the UK, and elsewhere, in the areas of Civil Society, Public discourse, and Cultural Life. Specifically, it has a) supported LGBTQ community initiatives; b) helped LGBTQ individuals to meet societal challenges and thereby improved their well-being; c) increased public awareness and understanding of human rights infringements experienced by LGBTQ individuals in Italy; d) directly influenced the writing practice of a contemporary Italian novelist and indirectly her readership. Beneficiaries include: LGBTQ populations in Italy and elsewhere, and sections of the public concerned with the politics of sexuality and gender. Extended narrative: At present, given the ingrained level of homophobia in Italian society, and the lack of proper legislation to protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination, debates on LGBTQ rights and culture in Italy are still in their infancy. Strong taboos remain in place as a result of opposition to extending LGBTQ rights, articulated by mainstream political parties and by the Vatican. However, because the research engages with crucial issues of liveability for marginalised subjects, any impact it does have, on LGBTQ individuals or the broader population, is incredibly important. The impact falls into two main categories: 1) It has increased public awareness and understanding of the infringement of human rights experienced by LGBTQ individuals in Italy, and inspired publications and debate on the subject of LGBTQ cultures, communities and representation in Italy. 2) It has improved the well-being of LGBTQ individuals, communities and other interested parties; 1) Individuals with whom Ross has developed relationships and shared her research have confirmed that her analysis has had a positive effect on their understanding of LGBTQ cultures and experiences in Italy, enabling them to gain a new/different/more nuanced and theoretically-informed view. The research has been widely disseminated through free public events and using social media. The research has informed the content of 4 free public talks and events in Italian and English: a talk in English on Italian 'lesbian' literature at the Birmingham Shout festival of queer culture (November 2011); a talk in Italian on lesbian cultural visibility at the 'Immaginaria' cinema festival, as part of Lesbiche Fuori salone ( Milan, November 2012); a discussion in English of a documentary on lesbian representation in the Italian media as part of the Birmingham Shout festival (March 2013); a talk in Italian on 'lesbian' literature in Bologna (April 2013). Ross also disseminates her research in both English and Italian via her blog. This includes posts , film reviews, reflections on her work and an opportunity for comment. While audiences for the talks have been relatively small on the whole (25-150), making the research available through the web has increased its reach: the blog has had over 6,000 visits. These visitors are mostly based in the UK or Italy, but some are based in other countries, including Japan and Iran (statistics available on request). Audiences and followers have commented on the lack of available literature on this topic and thanked Ross for opening up channels of debate: 'I am finding [the blog] a very interesting and important project as it really does fill a big gap'. One heterosexual respondent explained that reading the blog had helped him/her to rethink his/her attitude towards lesbians in relation to broader culture: 'the blog is challenging my prejudice that lesbianism = 'inward-looking culture' [6]. This remark shows how the research has deconstructed ungrounded assumptions that may be held by the broader population about the inward-looking character of lesbian culture. Responses to questionnaires for the Shout talk on 'lesbian' literature (November 2011) were very positive. Audience members commented that they had learnt a great deal about lesbian cultural representation in Italy, and that 'it was a really interesting insight into the literature of another country/culture and into the comparable [sic] with literature in the UK at the same time'. Respondents declared that they would broaden their reading practices and seek out the texts discussed that are available in English translation (novels and dvds with subtitles). They explained that they had been inspired to reflect on how the Italian texts relate to their own experiences and readings from different cultures. One attendee noted: 'As an Asian it has ignited my interest in tracing Asian lesbian historical depictions'. In conversation, attendees confirmed that they had not previously been aware of the disparity between the legal rights and standing of LGBTQ individuals in the UK and in Italy. Similar comments were made during the discussion of the documentary that Ross chaired for Shout in March 2013. Respondents to an event questionnaire stated that it had made them 'much more aware of the homophobia in Italy'. It inspired a thirst for more information: 'it made me want to research it [lesbian representation in Italy] and find out more'. It sparked a desire to think in more detail about 'visibility issues and media shaping of the discourse [on lesbian identity]'. These events challenged assumptions that the experiences of LGBTQ individuals are roughly comparable across Europe and stimulated audiences to do their own research on the subject. Ross's research on lesbian literature also inspired a contemporary novelist to rethink her approach to lesbian cultural representation: 'you have had a positive influence on my creative process'. Therefore the research is impacting on both political and cultural debates and representation. 2) Ross's research has impacted positively on well-being in several ways. The talk that she gave in Bologna in April 2013, on 'lesbian' literature was felt to be important both for lesbians and women in Italy more broadly, since it galvanised groups and individuals who feel disenfranchised by national politics and the mainstream media. The blog has had a positive effect on some individuals' self-esteem. One follower commented: 'It makes me feel stronger about my identity, knowing this research is happening and being discussed'. Ross's talks as part of the Shout Festival of Queer Culture in Birmingham have contributed to the success of this initiative in improving the well-being, self-confidence, self-esteem, health, feeling of security and social integration of LGBTQ individuals in the Midland area. Research on the impact of the festival indicates that it has had a positive effect on those who attended events, but also on those who simply knew about them, as well as on their families, friends and associates. It has enabled more transparent cultural discussion of issues that are often treated as though they are somehow shameful, and contributed to lowering levels of social isolation, depression, and alcohol use. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2011 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | Open Access blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | My blog is aimed at anyone interested in cultural representations of lesbianism in Italy. It is bilingual, English and Italian. It has had over 9,600 views since I set it up in May 2012 and has led to interaction via comments and emails. While few people have left public comments on the blog, perhaps because of the sensitivity of the subject matter, several people have written to me privately via email to tell me that the have found the blog interesting, reassuring and a boost to their confidence, since it focuses on excavating and validating queer history in Italy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2013,2014,2015,2016 |
| URL | http://charlotterossresearch.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | Presentation and discussion of the documentary 'Diversamente etero' (Twisted Straight) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I presented the documentary 'Diversamente etero' (Twisted Straight) by Elena Tebano, Milena Cannvacciuolo, Marica Lizzadro and Chiara Tarfano (2010), in a free public event as part of Birmingham's Shout festival of Queer Culture. I chaired a post-screening discussion about LGBT rights and media representation in the UK and Italy, which included specific reference to key issues that I tackle in my research project, including the cultural representation of desire between women in Italy. Many of the local audience told me that they were not aware of the lack of LGBT rights in Italy. They asked for information about websites, books and films they could access to better inform themselves and some of them declared an interest in getting involved in EU-wide campaigns for LGBT rights. Audience members also reflected critically on media representation of lesbians in contemporary Britain, and how that impacted on their sense of self and relationship with family members and colleagues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://shoutfestival.co.uk/Film/Twisted-Straight/148 |
| Description | Presentation of the film 'The Mystery of Mazo de la Roche' (Maya Gallus) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave a 15 minute talk in which I offered a critical intepretation of cultural and media representations of desire between women, and reflected on our relationship with historical queer figures. The talk was then posted on my blog, making it freely available to internet users worldwide. The programme for the festival can be consulted here: http://www.immaginaria.org/FSL2%20programma.pdf There was animated discussion amongst festival goers after the screening, and several of those present began following my blog and have been in touch with me to continue to discuss these questions further, including published novelists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | https://charlotterossresearch.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/matrimoni-bostoniani/ |
| Description | Talk on Italian 'lesbian' literature |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Around 50 members of the public attended a free talk at the Cassero LGBT centre in Bologna for a talk in Italian based on my research on literary representations of lesbian identities. It was followed by a lively discussion. It was publicised on the internet, including on my blog, where I made the content of the talk freely available for all internet users. Audience members reported (verbally, in perason, on a written questionnaire that I distributed and later via email) that the talk had given them a new perspective on the value of literary representation for sexual minorities, and on some of the trends in contemporary Italian literature. I am still in email dialogue with a contemporary novelist who was present, who tells me that my arguments and interpretation have influenced her approach to this topic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | https://charlotterossresearch.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/intervento-sulla-letteratura-lesbica-italiana... |
| Description | Talk on Italian Lesbian Literature |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave an illustrated 45 minute talk on my research on lesbian literary representation in Italian culture, whch was followed by a lively discussion. This was a free public event. The content of the talk was then posted on my blog, making it freely available to internet users worldwide. I carried out a questionnaire that revealed that some of the audience had found the talk had opened their eyes to queer history in Italy, about which they had previous known little. Some audience members pledged to get hold of texts and films I had mentioned in English translations. Others reflected that the talk had made them reflect on their own identity in relation to cultural representation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| URL | http://charlotterossresearch.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/talk-on-italian-lesbian-literature-birmingham-... |