VENETIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY: AN ETHNO-SYMBOLIC APPROACH by Gianni Croci A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Wilkes Honors College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Concentration in History Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University Jupiter, Florida May 2020 VENETIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY: AN ETHNO-SYMBOLIC APPROACH by Gianni Croci This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate‘s thesis advisor, Dr. Christopher Ely, and has been approved by the members of her/his supervisory committee. It was submitted to the faculty of The Honors College and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences. SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: _____________________________________ Dr. Christopher Ely _____________________________________ Dr. Timothy Steigenga _____________________________________ Dean Timothy Steigenga, Wilkes Honors College ______________ Date ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . I would like to acknowledge the professors of the Honors College who inspire me to expand my horizons and fuel my passion for historical research. Of course I thank Dr. Christopher Ely, my primary thesis adviser and the one whose classes I found myself in every semester. Every single time I was left in awe at the breadth of his knowledge and the strength of his love of learning. I hope to mimic his style of teaching where history is not a series of PowerPoint, but the tale of humanity. Special thanks go to Dr. Timothy Steigenga, a professor who served as my role model for scholarly research and an appreciation for fieldwork. My ability to do copious amounts of research where partly forged from his classes. Meanwhile, Dr. Christopher Strain is a role model for those who love learning and want to explore history through unique avenues. Dr. Strain is not afraid to experiment with new classes and subject- matters based on his love of reading, which is shown through his file cabinets full of notes. Finally, I need to acknowledge my classmates and friends. In no particular order: Kyle Owen for being my best friend and a fellow lover of history, Joseph Elmo for accompanying me on my journey to become a scholar, Forest Highland for showing me the importance of laughter, Sarah Haman for sharing a love of reading and experiencing unique HC moments with me, Madelyn Macias for being my first history student, Katherine Hernandez for being there as we went through the toughest challenges of being HC students, Sibel Bode for being a confidant who never let me doubt myself, Redmayne Taylor for sharing a love of philosophy and being able to carry out fruitful conversations, and Matthew Sanchez for being a person who proves that the stories of real life exceeds those of fiction. iii ABSTRACT Author: Gianni Croci Title: Venetian National Identity: An Ethno-Symbolist Approach Institution: Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University Thesis Director: Dr. Christopher Ely Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences Concentration: History Year: 2020 Ethno-symbolism is the study of nationalism through symbols and myths. Anthony D. Smith argued that nations are created from the shared memories of a core ethnie. This thesis applies Smith‘s framework to the Venetian population in Italy. Modern Venetians based their national identity on the Myth of Venice, positive memories about the independent Republic which existed from 697-1797. Venetian national identity developed in three waves. First, the Myth was molded from a cultural explosion in the face of political decadence during Il Settecento (Eighteenth Century). Then, Venetian intellectuals idealized their past in order to join the Kingdom of Italy during Il Risorgimento (Italian Reunification). Finally, a conservative philosophy against modernization arose during the twentieth century in response to globalization and mass tourism. Nationalist movements developed during contemporary times as modern Venetians established their national identity, iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1-11 Chapter 1: The Double Myth during Il Settecento-----------------------------------------------12-39 Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12 An Age of Transition-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15 An Ethno-Symbolist Approach to the Positive Myth of Venice---------------------------------------18 Shackled by the Negative Myth of Decadence-----------------------------------------------------------29 The Collapse---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------36 Conclusion-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------31 Chapter 2: Venetian Legacy during Il Risorgimento---------------------------------------------32-67 Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------32 Vernacular Mobilization: The Intellectual Debate over Venice----------------------------------------46 Bureaucratic Incorporation: A New Republic------------------------------------------------------------54 Conclusion-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------67 Chapter 3: Venetismo in the Twentieth Century-------------------------------------------------68-103 Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------68 Identity: ‗Com‘era e dov‘era‘-------------------------------------------------------------------------------71 Unity: Mass Tourism and Mass Protest -------------------------------------------------------------------81 Autonomy: Development of Nationalist Groups---------------------------------------------------------95 Conclusion---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------102 Conclusion-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------104-108 Bibliography-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------109-117 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: A photograph of the Venetian Lagoon-------------------------------------------------------3 Figure 2: A bird‘s-eye of the city of Venice-------------------------------------------------------------4 Figure 3: The ‗tank‘ used by Venetian nationalists-----------------------------------------------------6 Figure 4: Official flag of the Republic of Venice used by the doge Domenico Contarini-------11 Figure 5: War Flag used by the Republic of Venice--------------------------------------------------11 Figure 6: Canaletto, Piazza San Marco looking west towards San Geminiano-------------------20 Figure 7: Guardi, The Lagoon Looking toward Murano from the Fondamenta Nuove----------20 Figure 8: Longhi, The Ridotto in Venice ---------------------------------------------------------------21 Figure 9: Canova, Monument to Admiral Angelo Emo-----------------------------------------------21 Figure 10: Canaletto, Piazza San Marco---------------------------------------------------------------24 Figure 11: Grevembroch, Pile Drivers-----------------------------------------------------------------28 Figure 12: Tiepolo, The Minuet--------------------------------------------------------------------------31 Figure 13: Longhi, The rhinoceros----------------------------------------------------------------------31 Figure 14: Execution of the Bandiera brothers--------------------------------------------------------41 Figure 15: Map of Italy 1843----------------------------------------------------------------------------44 Figure 16: Ruskin Daguerreotype-----------------------------------------------------------------------52 Figure 17: Hayez, The Two Foscari---------------------------------------------------------------------54 Figure 18: de‘ Barbari, View of Venice-----------------------------------------------------------------56 Figure 19: Photo of Via Guiseppe-----------------------------------------------------------------------58 Figure 20: Photo of Venetian Public Gardens---------------------------------------------------------58 Figure 21: Nani, Daniele Manin and Niccolo Tommaseo Freed from Prison---------------------63 Figure 22: Querena, The church of San Geremia in Venice hit by the Austrians----------------66 vi Figure 23: Unknown artist, The King Victor Emmanuelle II in Venice----------------------------69 Figure 24: Statue of Victor Emmanuel II in Venice--------------------------------------------------70 Figure 25: Statue of Daniele Manin---------------------------------------------------------------------70 Figure 26: Ruins of the Campanile----------------------------------------------------------------------76 Figure 27: Venetian Flood of 1966----------------------------------------------------------------------79 Figure 28: Lavery, Bathing in the Lido-----------------------------------------------------------------85 Figure 29: Photo of an anti-tourist message spray-painted on a wall-------------------------------92 Figure 30: Photo of the No Grandi Navi protest flag-------------------------------------------------93 Figure 31: Photo of a pamphlet for the 10 June 2018 protest----------------------------------------93 Figure 32: Photo of protesters at