Identity in 19th century Southern Italy before and after the unification of Italy

Hi everyone,

I am currently reading for my future thesis on identity question in
the Ottoman Balkans in 19th century. I plan to focus on what people think
about their identities before and after significant events, wish to
analyze the change in ways of thinking after these events.

To obtain a broad understanding and do some comparative contributions to
my thesis, I decided to have a look at the other examples in Europe. I
read a book in the history of Southern Italy (Italy's Southern Question:
Orientalism in One Country of "Schneider") and looked at some other books
but could not see anything regarding the identity issue. The question is
what people in the Kingdom of Sicilies thought about their various
identities (like national, religious, regional, patriarchal etc.) and how
this thinking changed after the Piedmontese conquest of the kingdom. What
was the relative importance of these identities? Why did they prefer one
identity to the other? After the unification of Italy, why whould these
people want to be Italian or how did they see themselves different from
the people in the North? Briefly, I want to learn the thinking of people
of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies during the period around the unification
-before (Ferdinand II and Francis I) and after.

Could those of you who have ideas about the identity question in Southern Italy in 19th century
share them with me? This will help me catch a starting point for the questions above and start
a broader reading.

Thanks a lot :)
 
The question is
what people in the Kingdom of Sicilies thought about their various
identities (like national, religious, regional, patriarchal etc.)
Briefly put, they did not think about it.
They were basically serfs (and glad to be it, since it is those funny-accented noblemen who has to sail away ad fight crusade) and did not take an interest of who actually was thair master, provided that he was not (too much oppressive).
Regarding the 1600 Spain-vs.-France controversy on these region, there is an italian saying that tells you much about the question:
Franza o Spagna, purché se magna
transaltion: We are not interested on the fact of having french (norman) masters or spaniard ones, provided we have something left to eat.
Forget silly things like Barletta tourney, Italy was then really only "a geographical term"

and how this thinking changed after the Piedmontese conquest of the kingdom.
Why did they prefer one identity to the other?
After the unification of Italy, why whould these
people want to be Italian or how did they see themselves different from
the people in the North?
It did not changed.
At least not immediatly.
until at least 1914 most people in southern Italy felt they just traded a foreign master with another.
Currently there are 3 schools of thinking on how an "italian identity" has been formed

school 1) During the Great War.
Army regiments were (on purpose) composed of people coming from different place of italy. This (somewhat romantic) view is that the identity was forged through common suffering while fighting

school 2) During fascism
Fascism standardized a lot in italy, imposing the same clothings (uniforms from 6-years-old and up), imposing de facto the same educational systems, making people listen to the same Mussolini bombastic phrases, cleverly using mass media (mainly radio) to build an identity feeling

school 3) a national identity has never been truly form
Uder this view, Italy was formed by means of annexion and the italian state is basically something to be distrusted by italian citizens, who, however, do not have the strength nor the will to throw the yoke away, preferring the so-called quieto vivere (not rising problems in order not to have troubles)
 

Susano

Banned
Briefly put, they did not think about it.
They were basically serfs (and glad to be it, since it is those funny-accented noblemen who has to sail away ad fight crusade) and did not take an interest of who actually was thair master, provided that he was not (too much oppressive).
Yes, but that has nothing to do with identity. I think regional and national identities have always been there, and at least in Italy and Germany had few to do with actual state (=dynastic) borders. It however also was never truely important before the rise of political nationalism during the French Revolution.

Now, that in general, anyways. In particular, in the case of South Italy it seems to me that comparisons can be drawn to the Slovenes and Slovaks, two peoples who didnt have any "national awakening" during the 19th century, for lack of education and political interest among the general population mostly, and for whom only a thin layer of intellectuals spoke. Likewise, it seems to me that South Italy didnt have much of a national awakening at that time, unlike the west and central European peoples, except again for a small group of intellectuals - who overwhelmingly declared it to be culturally and nationally Italian.
 
Thanks. I think the problem was partly the strength of municipal and regional loyalties and partly the strength of loyalty to the Bourbons, especially among the poor. On top of that was the hostility that Norherners evoked in many southerners through the insensitive and often brutal imposition of the new state on the south in 1860.

Any other opinions on questions?

For national awareness, I agree with you that there was no strong nationalism in the South for some reasons. But what about the religion? Was there a religious difference betwee the two?
 
A very good book (not an historical book, but a romance that a southerner living in that period wrote) ti have an hinsight of the question is Te leopard (il gattopardo), by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
 
A very good book (not an historical book, but a romance that a southerner living in that period wrote) ti have an hinsight of the question is Te leopard (il gattopardo), by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

“tutto deve cambiare perché tutto resti uguale”

Everything must change so everything remain the same.

Said by a southern aristocrat that changed his allegiance from the Burbonic Regno delle due Sicilie to the Savoys Regno d'Italia in order to keep his priviledges. Interestingly he said to a Clergyman and added "if the situation is reverse wouldn't you do the same" foretelling to the rise of Catholic popularism and Democrazia Cristiana
 
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