| For a better understanding of the different interests ideological, political and economical behind the export of language and culture, this project aims to analyse the history of two organisations, the Società Dante Alighieri (Italy) and the British Council (Great Britain), in the years between 1934 (the founding of the British Council) and the end of the Second World War. Given the fundamental crisis of democracy and of confidence in Western civilization that took place then, this period was crucial for the socio-political landscape of the twentieth century. All the more interesting is how cultural instruments were used in this setting, be it to seek refuge from these crises or as instruments for the creation of a new order. So far the literature about the above-mentioned two organisations has been focussed on institutional and political history. The choices made in the presentation of cultural and linguistic heritage, as well as the motives involved, are taken more or less for granted and are not analysed. Instead, the proposed project would approach the organisations as entities that are interpreting and claiming ownership of cultural heritage at both national and international level. The research will concentrate on the images and symbolical references used to create a na-tional identity, as revealed by the activities, publications and presentation of (artistic) artefacts by the two organisations. The main issue is how in the increasing tension of an ideological battlefield, the Dante Alighieri Society and the British Council chose to present their national heritage abroad and what function it was given in a European and intercontinental context. In Great Britain, where cultural politics had so far been considered unnecessary since the Empire would speak for itself, it became alarmingly clear by the early 1930 s that if a nazification of the European continent and of other parts of the world was to be avoided, an active promotion of British democratic culture was imperative. Italy on the other hand, the cradle of Western civilization, was by 1936 a firm ally of Hitler s Reich and its own cultural organisations were in the grip of an ever more rigid regime. How did these historic processes influence the image of the national culture that the Dante Alighieri Society and the British Council respectively promoted? What does this say about the national differences in the role that is assigned to culture and history in international relations and society? To complete the picture, the history of two other rivalling organisations, the Verein für das Deutschtum im Ausland (Germany) and the Alliance française (France) will also be taken into account. |
