On the occasion of the celebrations of the

70th Anniversary of the birth of the Constitution of the Italian Republic

the Presidency of the Council of Ministers

promoted the research

At the Origins of the Republic

Italian Women Writers and Intellectuals as Protagonists in the Construction of a New Culture

“But with that cross mark on the ballot I felt as if I had drawn one of those flourishes that replace the word end. I left, then, liberated and young, as when one feels one’s hair nicely refreshed on one’s forehead”

Alba de Céspedes, 1946

The elections of June 2, 1946 marked, with the end of the long season of dictatorship, war and Resistance and with women’s first national vote, a moment of radical renewal of political, social and cultural practices directly involving gender. The militancy of women partisans during the Resistance, the recognition of the right to representation and the contribution of 21 elected women in the Constituent Assembly are events fully recognized and examined in depth by recent historiography, indicated as founding elements of a new idea of citizenship and State.

Within the framework of these important achievements, women writers as representatives of the country’s intellectual class, involved in an effort of thought, works and initiatives, acted and fought with commitment for the reconstruction of culture and civic consciousness.

The project At the Origins of the Republic made it possible to enhance, expand and disseminate studies oriented toward the reworking of the historiographical framework, proposing a systematic investigation of the presence and activities of Italian women writers in the years 1943-1956. Faced with a historical-literary tradition that has long erased, or marginalized, the presence of women, the research has brought to light the political and cultural protagonism of women authors, their active and decisive participation first in the Resistance and then in the construction of the Republic.

In this context, the work was oriented both toward the reconstruction of an overall assessment of women’s impact in the literary, journalistic, and publishing fields, and toward an in-depth examination of the profiles of thirteen authors, identified as key figures in the historiographical framework of reference: Sibilla Aleramo, Anna Banti, Maria Bellonci, Fausta Cialente, Alba de Céspedes, Natalia Ginzburg, Gianna Manzini, Paola Masino, Elsa Morante, Anna Maria Ortese, Lalla Romano, Renata Viganò, Giovanna Zangrandi.