Love, Sex, and Rape in Modern Italy, 1945–Present
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City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 6-2020 Fuitina: Love, Sex, and Rape in Modern Italy, 1945–Present Antonella Vitale The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3753 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] FUITINA: LOVE, SEX, AND RAPE IN MODERN ITALY, 1945-PRESENT by Antonella Vitale A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2020 © 2020 ANTONELLA VITALE All Rights Reserved ii Fuitina: Love, Sex, and Rape in Modern Italy, 1945-Present by Antonella Vitale This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________ _________________________________________ Date [Mary Gibson] Chair of Examining Committee ________________________ _________________________________________ Date [Andrew Robertson] Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Marta Petrusewicz Jane Schneider Julia Sneeringer David Troyansky City University of New York iii ABSTRACT Fuitina: Love, Sex, and Rape in Modern Italy, 1945-Present by Antonella Vitale Advisor: Mary Gibson The term fuitina in Sicilian dialect is a word used to describe a form of abduction, and is a variation of the more formal Italian term fuga, meaning a flight or escape. Fuitina, was essentially a sanctioned bride theft. Often, after the abduction of a woman, the abductor would seek a reparatory or rehabilitating marriage that would restore the woman’s “honor” and absolve the man of bride theft. Until 1981, the Italian legal system supported the practice of fuitina and rarely prosecuted men who kidnapped and raped women under the guise of this tradition. The practice of fuitina and the laws that enabled it, seem antiquated and brutal by today’s standards, but an investigation into the practice reveals a very nuanced custom. This dissertation explores the interplay between two types of fuitina, nonconsensual and consensual. Furthermore, the custom of fuitina creates a framework through which to analyze the history, law, and cultural evolution of women’s rights and emancipation in Italy. By examining the various manifestations of fuitina, this work positions the tradition as an evolving practice situated at the intersection of gender violence and sexual autonomy. Fuitina is a lens to examine the evolution of sex, gender, and female bodily rights in the post-fascist era, 1945 to the present, by examining a complicated process of national transformation that impacted the law, popular morality, and everyday attitudes regarding sex and gender norms. After the Second World War, life in Italy underwent massive transformation. This dissertation uses the island of Sicily as a case study to explore fuitina and considers its complexities and evolution in both perception and practice. This study tracks how the practice changed over time to accommodate new laws, cultural norms, economic structures, and the rise of a new feminist consciousness in the 1970s. Ultimately, this dissertation argues that fuitina is more than just an expression of patriarchal authority; it can also be utilized by individuals as a form of resistance against traditional social norms and hierarchies. This project demonstrates that there is no single definition of fuitina and complicates popular representations of the practice as an archaic and oppressive tradition often associated with southern Italy, in particular the island of Sicily. Overall this dissertation demonstrates that though on the one hand, fuitina is a manifestation of a violent and oppressive patriarchal system, it can also be used by individuals for claiming sexual autonomy. In some cases, it gives individuals agency over their own private lives and has contributed to the democratization of marriage and sexual relations in Italy in the post-fascist era. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my gratitude to a number of people who have helped me immensily in completing this dissertation. First and foremost, thank you to my advisor Mary Gibson who has mentored me through this process and read many drafts of each of my chapters providing invaluable feedback and advice. I would also like to thank Marta Petrusewicz who has offered important guidance and advice throughout. I thank the members of my dissertation committee: Jane Schneider, Julia Sneeringer, and David Troyansky who have been extremely encouraging, offered advice, and provided their own perspectives on this project. Also, a special thank you to the members of my Italian dissertation group Victoria Calabrese, Diana Moore, Sultana Banulescu, and Davide Coltano for reading so many drafts, having so much enthusiasm for this project, and offering suggestions, and a lot of encouragement over the years. Thank you also to the professors and scholars, in Sicily and the United States who provided research guidance and feedback, particularly Peter Schneider, Joseph Sciorra, Giovanna Fiume, Nino Blando, Cirus Rinaldi, Ernesto De Cristofaro, Michela Musolino, Rosario Perricone, and Gianfranco Lo Piccolo. Thank you to Cademia Siciliana and Salvatore Matteo Baiamonte who assisted in the correct spelling of Sicilian words, songs, and phrases. A special thank you to my copy editor, Raphaelle Steinzig for her thoroughness and steady resolve during the final phase of this process, which was much appreciated. Also, thanks to Dan Strauss for his Microsoft Word wizardry. I am also extremely grateful to the people, organizations, and institutions who were generous in awarding me the funds which allowed for me to take several research trips to Sicily to collect oral history interviews and work in the Italian archives, particularly Patricia Martone and the National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW). Also, thank you to Archivio di Stato in Palermo, Istituto Antonio Gramsci, Le Onde Onlus (ONLUS) in Palermo, Daniela Dio Guardi and Unione Donne Italiane (UDI) in Palermo, as well as Centro di Documentazione-Giuseppe Impastato, in Cinisi, and Ambrogio Conigliaro and Il Vespro, in Carini. To my husband, Michael Schiller, my son Leo, and my mother in law, Susan Chainey: a special thank you for all your support and encouragement over the years. Thank you to my cousins Giacomo Sciarrino and Angela Polizzi for providing childcare as well as housing and feeding me during my research trips, and a special thanks to nonno Cosimo Polizzi for entertaining me with his many stories and songs. Finally, thank you to my family, particularly my father Giuseppe, or “Pino,” and my brothers Vincenzo and Giacomo Vitale, as well as many friends for all of your love during this long journey. I couldn’t have done it without you. This work is dedicated to all the women and men who shared their stories, particularly my mother, Rosa Vitale and my nonna Mini Inocenza Sciarrino, or “za Nuzza,” whose memories inspired this dissertation project. Thank you. v Table of Contents Chapter 1: Fuitina: An Introduction ......................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Rediscovering the Case of Franca Viola ........................................................ 30 Chapter 3: Body of Law: Redefining Rape Law in Italy, 1945-Present .................. 56 Chapter 4: From Below and Beyond: Feminism and Honor ....................................... 93 Chapter 5: Representations of Fuitina in Italian Film ................................................. 120 Chapter 6: The Fuitina Tradition: An Oral History ...................................................... 148 Chapter 7: Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 179 Map of Sicily .................................................................................................................................. 189 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 190 vi Chapter 1: Fuitina: An Introduction We will capture her, nni la pigghiamu. We will capture her, nni la pigghiamu. With four good friends we can’t lose. And with her mother and father we will make peace, li pacificamu. We will make peace, li pacificamu. And with her mother and father we will make peace, li pacificamu.1 Spunta lu suli (The Sun Rises), Sicilian folk song I. Introduction A popular Sicilian folk song, Spunta lu suli (The Sun Rises), tells the story of a man plotting to abduct a young woman. After extolling her beauty, he says he will first capture her and then make peace with her parents. The form of abduction described in this song is known in the Sicilian dialect as fuitina, and the word is a variation of the formal Italian term fuga meaning flight or escape.2 In a traditional fuitina, like the one described in the song, after abducting a woman, the abductor would seek a reparatory or rehabilitating marriage that would restore the woman’s “honor” and absolve the man of the crime of the abduction. In its most common form, fuitina was essentially sanctioned bride theft. The practice