The city considered as the ideal principle of Italian histories

Among the protagonists of the Risorgimento, the political and social process that led to the unification of Italy, a central figure in the history of federalist and democratic thought, Carlo Cattaneo (1801-1869) developed his political positions on the basis of extensive and profound historical and philosophical research. Michele Campopiano (CMS, Department of English and Related Literature) proposes to the public one of his most important essays, La città considerata come principio ideale delle istorie italiane (1858), in a new, annotated, critical edition. The essay is not only a profound and original analysis of the functions performed by urban centers in the history of Italy, but also a theoretical reflection on the role of the city in the development of democratic institutions and civil life. Campopiano's introduction to the volume allows us to place this text in the context of the political and historiographical debates of its time and to appreciate its legacy in Italian political thought. 

 

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