76° Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024 

Frankfurt, 16-20 October 2024

On the occasion of the 76th edition of the Frankfurt International Book Fair, to which Italy will take part this year as Guest of Honor, the G. Feltrinelli Foundation is organizing a series of three discussions focused on the selected topics of fascism and ‘afascism’ in Italy in 2024, the languages of new right-wing movements, and the freedom of information in the years of the Meloni Government.

The discussions will take place at the International Stage and the Zentrum Wort of the Frankfurter Buchmesse and they will be conducted in English.

The Programme

Wednesday 16 October, 12.00 – 13.00
Zentrum Wort, Pavilion 4.1, F 21

Opening Ceremony of Zentrum Wort

With
Claudia Roth Germany’s Minister of Culture
Carlo Feltrinelli President of Gruppo Feltrinelli

Moderator
Maike Albath Literary critic

Wednesday 16 October, 13.00-14.00
Zentrum Wort, Pavilion 4.1, F 21

The vocabulary of the new Right Wing

The New Right around the world uses a language that is sometimes innovative and difficult to recognize. In Italy, too, it has little in common with the language of the Berlusconi era. It uses a new vocabulary and new forms enabling it to express, trivialize and normalize the previously unthinkable. New right-wing movements of various kinds make use of social networks, glorifying the past and returning to old nationalist images, while at the same time sometimes presenting themselves as pro-democracy and pro-European. How do they instrumentalize language and image, and what is their effectiveness? What are their slogans, symbols and tools? Which are those of the opposition? In a dialog with Massimiliano Tarantino, journalist and director of the Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, sociolinguist Vera Gheno and art historian Luciano Cheles trace the past and present of right-wing political propaganda on the dual level of words and images.

With
Vera Gheno Sociolinguist, writer and communicator, author of Grammamanti (Einaudi 2024)
Luciano Cheles Professor and expert of visual studies, author of Iconografia della destra. La propaganda figurativa da Almirante a Meloni (Viella 2023)

Moderator
Massimiliano Tarantino, Director of Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli

The event is organized in cooperation with the Association of German-speaking translators of literary and scientific works (VdÜ – Verband deutschsprachiger Übersetzer/innen literarischer und wissenschaftlicher Werke).

Link to the event: https://connect.buchmesse.de/newfront/sessions/7228

Saturday 19 October, 16.00-17.00
Zentrum Wort, Pavilion 4.1, F 21

Freedom of information in the Meloni Era

Over the past year, the Meloni government has come under intense scrutiny for its alarming censorship practices targeting journalists and media. In July 2024 the European Commission Report on media freedom in Italy has highlighted how since its election the Meloni government is growingly interfering in the public opinion and media, and this including by actions of pressure on independent journalists and attempts to silence critical voices through legal threats and funding cuts. Remarkably, the intimidation of investigative reporters covering sensitive political topics has escalated, with some facing personal harassment and others blacklisted by state media. These tactics represent a broader erosion of press freedom, undermining democratic discourse and access to unbiased information. In a public interview format the intellectual Tomaso Montanari and the researcher and activist Sielke Kelner will share, moderated by Massimiliano Tarantino, their perspectives offering insight into the struggles for free press in the most politicized Italy ever.

With
Tomaso Montanari Art historian and rector of Università per gli Stranieri, Siena
Sielke Kelner Researcher and activist at Media Freedom Rapid Response, OBCT

Moderator
Massimiliano Tarantino Director of Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli

The event is organized in cooperation with the Association of German-speaking translators of literary and scientific works (VdÜ – Verband deutschsprachiger Übersetzer/innen literarischer und wissenschaftlicher Werke).

Sabato 19 ottobre, 13.00-14.00
International Stage, Foyer 5.1-6.1

1924/2024,  Italy from fascism to an ‘afascist government’.

And what about antifascism?

Revisiting the fascism/antifascism debate a century later forces us to confront Italy’s present political scenario together with its comedown and educational and cultural regression. The rise of the Meloni government brings troubling questions to the forefront: What is fascism in Italy today, in light of Meloni’s ascent? What are the new fascist imaginaries shaping the nation’s identity and political discourse? This shift raises the issue of “afascist democracy” – a form of elective autocracy threatening to replace the antifascist foundations of the Italian Republic. What does this new political order entail, and how does it challenge the democratic values on which the country was built? Equally important, what role does antifascism play in defending against these threats? In this discussion, the two authors of Democrazia afascista, Nadia Urbinati and Gabriele Pedullà, will explore, moderated by Massimiliano Tarantino, the redefinition of Italy’s cultural and civic landscape, the persistence of revisionist narratives, and the future of constitutional freedoms under the shadow of a resurgent fascist imagination.

With the authors of Democrazia afascista (Feltrinelli 2024)
Gabriele Pedullà Essayist and storyteller, Roma Tre University
Nadia Urbinati Political scientist, Columbia University

Moderator
Massimiliano Tarantino Director of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation