Suchergebnisse

Following an overview of the life of Margherita Grassini Sarfatti (1880-1961), infamous for being Benito Mussolini's mistress & famous for the 1925 founding of the Novocento art group in Italy, examined are her 1913-1955 texts. At issue is how Sarfatti pursued a feminism-fascism reconciliation across three phases in her life & works: (1) early years of socialist feminism; (2) middle years at the apex of Mussolini's power, with Sarfatti more clearly aligned with fascist thought on women; & (3) later years, when she sought to revise her historical position & absolve herself from any responsibility for fascism's development. The latter might explain the notable silence in her memoirs regarding Mussolini. However, it is demonstrated that even in the antiwoman work of her middle years, her concern for women's issues is apparent, along with a subtle dissent toward the fascist ideology. In the end, Sarfatti is seen to compel the rethinking of critical categories of identity, reformulate fascism's historical paradigms, & redefine contemporary ideas on feminism. J. Zendejas