Perfetti, Guglielmo (2018) Absolute beginners of the “Belpaese.” Italian youth culture and the Communist Party in the years of the economic boom. PhD thesis. https://theses.gla.ac.uk/9132/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/
[email protected] Absolute Beginners of the “Belpaese.” Italian Youth Culture and the Communist Party in the Years of the Economic Boom Guglielmo Perfetti Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Modern Languages and Cultures College of Arts University of Glasgow March 2017 1 Abstract This study has the aim of exploring aspects of youth culture in Italy during the economic boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Its theoretical framework lies between the studies around Italian youth culture and those around the Italian Communist Party (PCI), investigating the relationship between young people and contemporary society and examining, for the first time, the relationship of the former with the PCI, its institutions and media organs.1 The arrival of an Anglo-American influenced pop culture (culture transmitted by the media and targeted at young people) and of its market, shaped the individualities of part of the pre-baby boomers that, finally, were able to create bespoke identities somewhat disconnected from the traditional party-related narrative while remaining on the left of the political spectrum.