La costruzione dell’altro. Corrispondenti fra Italia e Germania dal Deutsches Reich alla Prima guerra mondiale (1871-1915)

The research project analyses the articles and ego-documents published by Italian correspondents in Germany and German journalists in Italy between 1871 and 1915 in order to investigate the transformation of the image of the Other through stereotypes and clichés in a period that was central to bilateral relations. The aim of the study is therefore to reconstruct the way in which Italian and German correspondents describe the Other. The category of news correspondents was chosen for a specific reason: these journalists contributed with their articles not only to the expansion of the public sphere in their respective countries, but also to the development of certain images of the Other in Italy and Germany. The research focuses on two main aspects. Firstly, the representation of the Other developed significantly between 1871 and 1915 and the stereotypes used by journalists are by no means fixed but have changed over time. Secondly, the long period studied makes it possible to describe the different phases of certain standardised images and their spread in public opinion. The research focuses on the following sources: newspaper articles and ego-documents, i.e. diaries and memoirs of correspondents (where available). The articles analysed come from some of the best-known newspapers of the period examined: for Italy, Gazzetta Piemontese (later La Stampa), Corriere della Sera and Il Secolo; for Germany, Allgemeine Zeitung, Kölnische Zeitung and Berliner Tageblatt. The selected correspondence covers the following period: the 1870s after the foundation of the Empire; the 1890s to observe how the news correspondents portrayed the other country at a time when the two nations were very close; finally, the period before the First World War with Italy’s supposed “betrayal” of Germany and Austria-Hungary. The research project begins with Ferdinando Fontana (Gazzetta Piemontese), in Berlin between 1878 and 1880, and his memoirs; the study continues with the articles by Umberto Coccoluto Ferrigni/Yorickson (Corriere della Sera, 1893-1903) and Mario Mariani (Il Secolo, 1907-1915) in order to cover the entire period studied. The research shows a development in the representation of the Other by the Italian correspondents that is not only due to the central events in German-Italian relations, but also to the political tendencies of the newspapers. The latter is observed mainly between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the First World War. While a certain mistrust of Germany’s great military commitment can be observed in the articles and ego-documents following the foundation of the Empire, the last years of the century are characterised by a greater openness of Italy towards Germany. The Germans are often portrayed as a model to be emulated or mocked sympathetically through new stereotypes and consolidated standardised images. The role of Italian correspondents in Germany between 1914 and 1915 is also interesting: they were not war correspondents but journalists who remained in Germany (for as long as possible) not only to follow German military developments, but also to observe the changing mood towards Italy. Mario Mariani not only wrote articles for Il Secolo, but also memoirs and diaries, which today are important sources for understanding the development of the image of the Other from Italy’s declaration of neutrality to the “betrayal” of 1915. The selected correspondence can be categorised into different types in Italy and Germany. The articles by Italian journalists deal with German politics in only a few cases: in Ferdinando Fontana’s 118 articles, almost half report on current political events, while the rest describe the correspondent’s life in Germany and the relationships he tries to build with the local population. In Yorickson, this particular tendency to deal with various aspects of everyday life in Germany can be found in all 173 articles selected for research: instead of Reichstag sessions, the journalist prefers theatre performances, walks through the capital and observations of the behaviour of Germans on various occasions, especially in their relations with Italians. In addition to the articles, there are also ego-documents, as in the case of Mario Mariani. Although it is difficult to analyse the correspondence of the journalist from Il Secolo due to the lack of source, the memoirs are an important document because they reflect the author’s opinion. Moreover, most first-person documents from the war period are intended for publication, as in this case. Mariani’s memoirs therefore fulfil the same task as the correspondence studied: they are intended to influence public opinion by spreading a certain image of the Other, in this case the enemy. The German sources were selected from the following newspapers: Allgemeine Zeitung with 70 articles, Kölnische Zeitung with 100 articles and Berliner Tageblatt with 50 articles. Before the unification of Italy, the German correspondents mainly wrote about artistic and cultural topics, while it was only from the 1870s that more attention was paid to the Italian political, economic, and social context. One particularity is the gender of the first correspondent examined: it is possible that it was a woman who used the female gender symbol instead of the signature with her first name and surname. The use of signs and symbols can also be observed in other German newspapers. The KZ-journalist, for example, uses the cloverleaf symbol and his articles alternate strongly clichéd representations of Italy with analyses of political, economic, and social events in the Kingdom. However, there are cases in which the journalist not only uses a particular symbol for articles, but also signs his own first and last name. This is the case of Hans Barth (Berliner Tageblatt), in Rom from the years before World War I until 1915. Barth’s articles are particularly interesting because they show the perspective of a German journalist who continued to write articles from Italy after the proclamation of neutrality, despite living in an atmosphere full of unrest and contrasts. The research project aims to show how different representations of the Other influenced public opinion. It also shows attempts to “update” the already established view of the Other according to different political events. Finally, this study aims to be a first step towards a deeper investigation of the role that Italian and German correspondents played in the representation of the Other and the attempts of journalists and newspapers to influence public opinion through certain stereotypical images.