In 1932, Benito Mussolini proudly declared the twentieth century to be "a fascist century," one that would shed the supposedly degenerate nineteenth-century aspirations towards "socialism, liberalism, and democracy" and their attendant assumptions of progress, equality, and rationalization. This prediction surely did not come to pass, yet the interwar period of the twentieth century (1918-1939) and the fascist movements that incubated during this period have left an indelible stamp on global history. The twentieth century was not "a fascist century," but it was surely a century haunted by the global experience of fascist terror. At the same time, fascism cannot be consigned to history as some kind of political artifact. The afterlives of interwar fascist movements have in many cases been vibrant, and neo-fascist and "post-fascist" movements continue to maintain degrees of influence in western and non-western countries alike. The so-called "populist turn" in the decade after the financial crisis of 2008 has also brought renewed attention to potential linkages and continuities between certain contemporary political formations and the beliefs and practices of the fascists of the interwar years. But what exactly is fascism? This seemingly basic question has vexed scholars for decades, and provoked countless competing interpretations that settle on vastly different conclusions. Additionally, methodological debates concerning how to approach these movements as subjects of scholarly inquiry have been no less contentious. This course will introduce students to an important set of debates and interpretations regarding fascism's character as a doctrine; the sociological, economic, and political conditions that facilitated its rise; the question of how fascists mobilized support; and the fundamental questions related to how fascists governed and why. Importantly, we will also approach the theoretical questions of the foundations of fascist ideology, how fascists imagined their ideal political subjects, and the kinds of affective energies (rage, nostalgia, disgust, fear, desire for redemption/purification, etc.) that facilitated distinctly fascistic sentiments. Our course will not provide students with fixed, dogmatic answers to each of these questions, but will rather grant students access to a set of tools that will enable them to engage in responsible, scholarly inquiry on these matters of pressing political concern. |