Description
Book SynopsisFemininity in the form of the donna-crisi, or “crisis-woman,” was a fixture of fascist propaganda in the early 1930s. A uniquely Italian representation of the modern woman, she was cosmopolitan, dangerously thin, and childless, the antithesis of the fascist feminine ideal – the flashpoint for a range of anxieties that included everything from the changing social roles of urban women to the slippage of stable racial boundaries between the Italian nation and its colonies.
Using a rich assortment of scientific, medical, and popular literature, Natasha V. Chang’s The Crisis-Woman examines the donna-crisi’s position within the gendered body politics of fascist Italy. Challenging analyses of the era which treat modern and transgressive women as points of resistance to fascist power, Chang argues that the crisis-woman was an object of negativity within a gendered narrative of fascist modernity that pitted a sterile and decadent
Trade Review
'This book should appeal to anyone interested in the fascist period, and not only to literary critics. Historians of Italy and of fashion, as well as feminist scholars, to name a few, will find much to learn in Chang's engaging and well-written monograph.' -- Cristina Mazzoni Annali D'Italianistica vol 35:2016
Table of Contents
Introduction 1. The Donna-crisi in the Fashion World: From Revolution to Regulatory Ideal 2. Scientific Discourse and the Making of the Donna-crisi 3. Esci fuori, mattacchiona!: Satirical Representations of the Donna-crisi 4. Ideologies and Economies of Crisis Conclusion Appendix A. Rodolfo De Angelis, "Mah, cos'e questa crisi?" (1933) Appendix B. Romolo Balzani, "Donna Crisi" (1933) Appendix C. Mameli Barbara, "Donna crisi utilitaria" (1933) Appendix D. Mameli Barbara, "Donna crisi inutilitaria" (1933)
