6/4/2015

AlessandroPortelli:novembre2013

ALESSANDROPORTELLI
22 NO V EMB R E 2013

LeFosseArdeatineraccontateinIndia
DeccanHerald(Bangalore)9.11.2013ThroughthehistoryofRomeNov
9,2013,DHNSHistoryloverswereinforatreatatalectureand
interactivesessionbyItalianscholarandoralhistorianAlessandro
Portelli,titledEventandMemory,attheNationalGalleryofModern
Art(NGMA)recently.TheeventwasorganisedbyNGMA,alongwith
theMinistryofCulture,GovernmentofIndia,incollaborationwiththe
CentreforPublicHistory.OnhisfirstvisittotheCity,Alessandro
Portellispokeaboutthe1944incident,whereNazioccupyingforcesin
Romeexecuted335menasaretaliationforapartisanattack.

LI NK E CO NT A T T I

ChiAlessandroPortelli
Unapropostadilavoroculturale
ScriviadAlessandroPortelli

Discussingthehistoryofthemassacre,itssymbolicsignificancetothe
historicalimageofRomeandrelatingittotheantifascistfoundationof
theItaliandemocracy,AlessandroPortelliraisedthecontroversies
involvedandthemythsthatsurroundthememoryoftheevent.Im
usingaspecificRomanincidenttoraisequestionsmainlyonhow
publicmemoryworks.Iamhopingthatthroughthecommentsand
questionandanswerround,thissessionwillturnintoalearning

DO W NLO A D

Lezionidistoria:igiornidiRoma24
marzo1944:LeFosseArdeatine
Lezionidistoria:SullascenadiRoma:
IlbombardamentodiSanLorenzo

experienceforme,saidtheoralhistorian,adding,Idontknowmuch
aboutIndiaormorelike,notenoughthatIcantalkabout.Headded,
ImtryingtofindmywayaroundtheCitysinceitsmyfirsttimehere.

P O S T R ECENT I

ButIhavefoundthatpeoplehereareshowingalotofinterestinmy

MassimoRendinapartigiano:dall'8
settembreal25...

work.Speakingduringtheevent,AlessandroPortellipointedoutthat
thecoldbloodedmassacreisahighlysymbolicevent.Havingtaken
placeinRome,whichhousestheheadoftheCatholicChurch,itwas
boundtohaveagreaterresonancethanifithadtakenplaceina

GualtieroBertelli:Veneziaeuna
fisarmonicailma...

smallerplace.Themassacrehasalonghistoryandishighlysymbolic,

Lapassioneindomabiledel
comandanteMaxilmanife...

hesaid.IndiraChowdhury,directorofCentreforPublicHistorysaid,

LaPlata:cittdimemoria

Itstakenawhiletoorganisethisevent.Butwefeltthattherewouldbe
manywhowouldbenefitbylisteningtothislecture.Thepacked
auditoriumlistenedinraptattention.Mykeeninterestinhistoryis
whatbringsmehere.Iamanavidreaderandampaticularlyfondof
nonfiction.Itwillbeinterestingtoheardifferentperspectives.Butits
notoftenthatIgettoattendalectureofthiskind,saidPrashanth,a
memberoftheaudience.Manywhomadetheirwaytothelectureafter

HoleprovecheClaraAnahviva:
intervistacon...
Horitrovatomionipoterapitodai
militari:inter...
Hebron:terroreeroutine
LaLiberazionenonfinita.

workwerehopingthatitwouldbeworththeeffort.Iwantto

UnpizzinoperPeppinoImpastato

understandthehistoryofRomeofwhichIdonthavemuchofanidea.

Kabir,unpoetacontrolebarrier:
incontroconSh...

Thisisagreatopportunityformetodothesame,saidArun,another
memberoftheaudience.HistorystudentSowmya,whoenjoyedthe
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experience,shared,IdidntknowwhattoexpectwhenIcamein.Butit

ARCHIVIO

wasreallyinterestingandthatjustshowsinthesheernumberofpeople

maggio2006

whoarehere.TheHinduNovember14,2013Therighttoremember

luglio2006

SRAVASTIDATTATALKAlessandroPortellistalkonTheFosse

settembre2006

ArdeatineMassacrebroughttolighttheroleofmemoryinshapinga
narrativeDiffersinthetellingAndinreminiscence,accordingto
Alessandrophoto:sampathkumarg.p.Ourunderstandingofthepastis
oftencolouredbyhowwechoosetorememberit.Thiswasreflectedina

ottobre2006
novembre2006
dicembre2006

recenttalkEventandMemory:TheFosseArdeatineMassacreheldat

gennaio2007

NationalGalleryofModernArt(NGMA)bytheCentreforPublic

febbraio2007

HistoryofSrishtiSchoolofArt,DesignandTechnology.Renowned

marzo2007

oralhistorian,writerandmusicologist,AlessandroPortellispokeabout

aprile2007

hisbookTheOrderHasBeenCarriedOut,whichexplorestheFosse

maggio2007

ArdeatineMassacre.OnMarch24,1944,335menwerekilledbyNazis

settembre2007

inRome.TheattackwassupposedlyinretaliationforaPartisan
attack,anattackthattheItalianliberalisershadwagedagainstthe
Nazis,saysAlessandro.RomebecametheheadquartersfortheNazis
fightinginthefront.AssoonastheNazisoccupiedthecity,an

ottobre2007
novembre2007
dicembre2007

undergroundliberationmovementbegan.Itwasanentirelyvoluntary

gennaio2008

movementandallthepoliticalantifascistorganisationsjoinedthem.

febbraio2008

ItwasahardtimeforthepeopleinRome.Theyhadtosurvivehunger

marzo2008

andairraids,whichkilledthousandsofpeople.ToaffirmthatRome

aprile2008

wasnotentirelyundertheNazis,thepartisansbegantoattackthe

maggio2008

Nazisindifferentpartsofthetown.OnMarch23,1944,agroupof
PartisansattackedagroupofNazisoldiersattachedtotheSS.Itwas
aneventthatseemedtoshowthattheNazisdidnotcontrolthecity,
thattheywerenotinvulnerable.And,therefore,itbecameimmediately
necessaryfortheNazistoterrorisethecity.SignificantThemassacre

settembre2008
novembre2008
dicembre2008
gennaio2009

becamesymbolicforanumberofreasons.Thefirstwasthelocationof

febbraio2009

themassacre.Romeisnotjustanyplace.Itisahighlysymboliccity.In

marzo2009

fact,throughoutWWII,inEurope,thiswastheonlymajorcoldblooded

aprile2009

massacrethattookplaceinabigcity.Thiswasnttheworstmassacre

maggio2009

inthehistoryofGermanyoccupiedItaly.Therehavebeenothersin

giugno2009

whichmorepeoplewerekilledbytheairraidsoftheAllies.MostNazi
massacrestookplaceinruralplaces.Inmostothermasskillings,the
socialcompositionofthevictimswasrelativelyhomogenousasthe
populationofaruralvillageorasmalltownis.InRome,whatyouhad

luglio2009
settembre2009
ottobre2009

wasacrosssectionofthepopulationofthebigcity.Thestories

novembre2009

Alessandrohaschronicledinhisbookareofthepeoplewhowere

dicembre2009

involvedintheevent.Thevictimswereallmen,whichmeansthestory

gennaio2010

ofthesurvivorsweremainlymemoriesofwomen.Anditwasin

marzo2010

speakingtoandunderstandingthestoriesofthosewhoweredirectly

aprile2010

affectedbythemassacre,thatAlessandrorealisedthatoralhistorygoes

maggio2010

beyondwhatsocietyconsidersrelevanttoberecorded.Alessandro
saysthemassacrewasacomplicatedprocess.Itwasverywell
organised.Theydrewuplists,theyhadlogistics.Ofteninthe
commemorationoftheevent,peopletalkaboutitasabarbarous,

giugno2010
ottobre2010
novembre2010

savagemassacre,Ithinkthisisaseriousmistake.Thiswasahighly

dicembre2010

civilisedmassacre.Itcouldnothavebeenperformedunlessyouhadall

gennaio2011

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ofstateandbureaucracyworkingtomakeitpossible.Itisimportantto

febbraio2011

understandthatifwesayitwasabarbarousmassacre,wearesaying

marzo2011

wehavehadnothingtodowithit,werecivilised.Itwasourcivilisation

aprile2011

thatmadeAuschwitzpossibleitcouldnothavebeendonewithout
chemicalindustries,withoutthemodernstate.Thatraisesthe
meaningoftheeventintermsofourheritage,ourcivilisation.
However,whatmakesthiseventespeciallycontroversialisthewayits

maggio2011
giugno2011
agosto2011

beenremembered,saysAlessandro.TheantiPartisannarrativegoes

settembre2011

likethis:thePartisansattackedthosepoorGermansoldiersandthey

marzo2012

killedthemandthentheNazispostedbillsalloverthecitysaying

aprile2012

unlesstheperpetratorsturnthemselvesin,weshallhavetokill10

luglio2012

peopleforeveryGermankilled,sothatintheendtheblamefallsonthe

novembre2012

Partisans,whoareguiltyofnotturningthemselvesinandtherefore,

dicembre2012

forcingthepoorGermanstokill335people.Sowhodoweblame?We
donotblametheNazisbecausetheydidwhattheyhadtodo.Butwe
blamethePartisansforattackingtheNazisandforallowingthemtobe
killed.Alessandrosayswhatactuallyoccurredisdifferentfromwhatis

febbraio2013
aprile2013
maggio2013

rememberedoftheevent.TheNazisdidntpostanybillsanddidnt

giugno2013

lookforPartisans.Themassacretookplacelessthan24hoursafterthe

luglio2013

Partisanattack.Soitsclearlyafalsenarrative.However,ithastaken

agosto2013

rootsinpublicimaginationduetoanumberofreasons.SRAVASTI

ottobre2013

DATTA

novembre2013

A LES A NDR O P O R T ELI | 11: 08 A M

0 CO MMENT I

dicembre2013
gennaio2014
febbraio2014
marzo2014
aprile2014
maggio2014
giugno2014
agosto2014
febbraio2015

FEED

COLLABORATORI
A LES A NDR O P O R T ELI
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