Opera, Politics, and Masculinities in Fascist Italy, 1935-1941
Gilliam, Bryan
Duke University
2020
249
Ph.D.
Duke University
2020
Roger Griffin notes that "there can be no term in the political lexicon which has generated more conflicting theories about its basic definition than 'fascism'." The difficulty articulating a singular definition of fascism is indicative of its complexities and ideological changes over time. This dissertation offers fascist performativity as a theoretical lens to better understand how Italian composers interacted with fascism through sustained, performative acts while leaving space to account for the slipperiness of fascist identities.