Mothers of Invention: Women, Italian Fascism, and Culture

Somewhere between Mussolini's stereotypes of woman as domestic model or degenerate intellectual lies the reality of feminist experience under the Italian Fascist state. Eight essays by feminist and Italian scholars explore how women negotiated the Fascist ideology, and the issues of gender identity, social constructs, and the rhetoric of male virility. Specific attention is given to particular women who contributed to the arts, literature, and politics during the era, including Anna Kuliscioff, Irene Brin, and Sibilla Aleramo.