Can we still talk about democracy in Italy? Enormous historical changes emptied the instruments of popular partecipation to politics, fostering a neobonapartistic and hypermediatic form of charismatic power and inducing many citizens to abstensionism and an angry but boid protesting. In the same time, every space of public meditation and confrontation are sacrificed to the primacy of improvised decision-making.

Behind these changes, a historical and material process undermined the foundations of democracy preparing a contterattack of the ruling classes against the subordinate ones and spreading a culturale atmosphere marked by individualism and competition.

This cours aim to make students aware of the current transformations in social and political backgrounds whose influence is strongly conditioning towards educational processes.

1) Democracy and modern democracy

2) Modern democracy as formalization of political and social struggle

3) Rise and fall of modern democracy in Western countries

4) The idea of hegemony and the "democratic" cultural forms

5) The birth of postmodern ideology during the political cycle 1968-1977 and the crisis of the idea of hegemony

6) From nine-cent. bonapartism to postmodern one

7) Absolute individual freedom as freedom of consumption in post-democracy; the postmodern form of hegemony

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Students must understand concepts and theories explained; they must also be able to revise and transfer in their educational praxis the general basic principles introduced.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Widening texts available by link on Moodle platform.

Teaching

Lessons in presence.

Attendance

None

Course books

1) Stefano G. Azzarà: Democrazia cercasi. Dalla caduta del Muro a Renzi: sconfitta e mutazione della sinistra, bonapartismo postmoderno e impotenza della filosofia in Italia, Imprimatur Editore (tranne introduzione e conclusioni).

 2) Ernesto Laclau, Chantal Mouffe: Egemonia e strategia socialista. Verso una politica democratica radicale, Genova, Il melangolo, 2011 (le parti da studiare verranno indicate nei primi giorni di lezione).

 3) D. Losurdo: Il revisionismo storico. Problemi e miti, nuova edizione accresciuta (con un capitolo su N. Ferguson), Laterza 2015 (le parti da studiare verranno indicate nei primi giorni di lezione).

 4) Emiliano Alessandroni: Ideologia e strutture letterarie, Aracne Editrice (solo la parte sull’ideologia).

Assessment

Oral examination

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Not attending students muyst learn the same programm learned by attending ones, using also text and materials available on Moodle platform. Please conotact professor and their assistants.

Attendance

Not compulsory

Course books

As for attending students

Assessment

Oral examination as for attending students

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

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