La Società Dante Alighieri a Stoccarda nel Novecento

Abstract

The Dante Alighieri Society in Stuttgart in the Twentieth Century. Cultural Diplomacy and Associational Practices. This paper examines the history of the Stuttgart Committee of the Società Dante Alighieri between 1933 and 1975. Drawing on sources held in the Society’s Historical Archive, the study reconstructs the internal functioning of the Committee, its survival strategies in times of crisis, and the role of social networks in sustaining its continuity. Three phases are analysed in particular: the progressive fascistization of the Dante in the 1930s and its role during the Second World War; the postwar reconstruction and subsequent trajectory from expansion in the 1950s to contraction in the 1960s; and, finally, the period from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, when the Committee was consolidated as a stable cultural presence, navigating a changing environment shaped by European integration and the transformations of the Italian migrant community in Germany. Special attention is paid to the ambivalent relations with Italian consular authorities and cultural institutions in Stuttgart, the cooperation with German partners, and the tension between addressing a cultured German audience and engaging with migrant communities. In a broader perspective, the case of Stuttgart contributes to ongoing reflections on Italian cultural diplomacy in the twentieth century, highlighting the interplay of politics, migration, and cultural consumption. It also provides a micro-historical lens through which to examine the evolving relationship between Italy and Germany, from the age of totalitarian regimes to the new European order of the Cold War.