Paola Gambarota

“American Naples” is a cultural history of Naples under the Allied occupation (October 1943-April 1945). It examines the impact of the occupation on the culture of the Southern metropolis, and on the lives and work of international artists and intellectuals who experienced this historical event as soldiers or politicians and participated both in the making and in the writing of history. Based on a broad range of sources – including newspapers, newsreels, photos, novels, films, poetry, plays, and diaries – the project aims to analyze the affective and aesthetic responses to occupation in relation to cultural paradigms of modernity, how they shaped the transition from Fascism to democracy, the cultural memories of World War II, and the ways these memories are invoked today.