In this paper I intend to trace the relationship between the increasing hostility that the Fascist regime showed towards translations in the second half of the 1930s and the build up towards, and eventual adoption of, official racist legislation. I will argue that there was an escalation in the regime’s attitudes towards translation, and consequently in its censorship policies concerning translations, that can be broadly broken down into three distinct stages. A first stage (1929-1934) during which considerable hostility was shown within the literary establishment towards what was perceived as an “invasion of translations” but during which the regime took no direct action to restrict or limit translations and implemented no specific censorship policy for translations. This was followed by a second stage (1934-1937) in which the establishment of the Italian Empire in East Africa brought with it a much more nationalist and xenophobic cultural climate; a climate that also began to influence the regime’s attitudes towards translations. This was the period in which the first tentative measures concerning translations were adopted by the regime. Finally, I will argue that there was a third distinct stage (1938-1943) that was marked first by the introduction of official anti-Semitism and then by the outbreak of the Second World War. Official racism brought with it a climate of cultural paranoia in which translations began to be seen as a source of cultural pollution. It was at this time that the first concrete measures to restrict the number of translations being published in Italy were taken, as the anti-Semitic purge that was taking place in Italian society was matched by a drive to purge Italian culture of all elements that were seen as foreign to it. This purge then became all the more imperative when Italy found itself at war with Great Britain and the USA – the two main sources of the literature that was ‘polluting’ Italian culture in the form of translations. However, when looking at the history of translation under Fascism we must be careful not to accept Fascist rhetoric at face value. Despite the measures taken, and despite official pronouncements against the corrupting influence of foreign culture, translations continued to be published in large quantities and the regime continued to show a surprising flexibility where translations were concerned – even during the war. The reality would appear to have been that ideological concerns about the purity and supposed superiority of Italian culture anyway had to be reconciled with the economic importance of the translation industry.
The Relationship between the Censorship of Translations and Official Racism in Fascist Italy
christopher rundle
2013
Abstract
In this paper I intend to trace the relationship between the increasing hostility that the Fascist regime showed towards translations in the second half of the 1930s and the build up towards, and eventual adoption of, official racist legislation. I will argue that there was an escalation in the regime’s attitudes towards translation, and consequently in its censorship policies concerning translations, that can be broadly broken down into three distinct stages. A first stage (1929-1934) during which considerable hostility was shown within the literary establishment towards what was perceived as an “invasion of translations” but during which the regime took no direct action to restrict or limit translations and implemented no specific censorship policy for translations. This was followed by a second stage (1934-1937) in which the establishment of the Italian Empire in East Africa brought with it a much more nationalist and xenophobic cultural climate; a climate that also began to influence the regime’s attitudes towards translations. This was the period in which the first tentative measures concerning translations were adopted by the regime. Finally, I will argue that there was a third distinct stage (1938-1943) that was marked first by the introduction of official anti-Semitism and then by the outbreak of the Second World War. Official racism brought with it a climate of cultural paranoia in which translations began to be seen as a source of cultural pollution. It was at this time that the first concrete measures to restrict the number of translations being published in Italy were taken, as the anti-Semitic purge that was taking place in Italian society was matched by a drive to purge Italian culture of all elements that were seen as foreign to it. This purge then became all the more imperative when Italy found itself at war with Great Britain and the USA – the two main sources of the literature that was ‘polluting’ Italian culture in the form of translations. However, when looking at the history of translation under Fascism we must be careful not to accept Fascist rhetoric at face value. Despite the measures taken, and despite official pronouncements against the corrupting influence of foreign culture, translations continued to be published in large quantities and the regime continued to show a surprising flexibility where translations were concerned – even during the war. The reality would appear to have been that ideological concerns about the purity and supposed superiority of Italian culture anyway had to be reconciled with the economic importance of the translation industry.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
