Dr Bracke is delighted to let you know that University of Glasgow Library has received a generous donation by Professors Judith and Stephen Hellman (York, Toronto) of material relating to 20th-century Italian history, politics and culture. The collection consists of books, periodicals, press material, and pamphlets, on two main themes: the Italian communist party (PCI) and affiliated organisations such as trade unions and research centres on the one hand, and women's organisations and women's writing on the other. This first part of the collection includes texts by leading communists such as Enrico Berlinguer on issues of global communism and Italian politics, as well as the party's major periodicals such as Rinascita, propaganda material, and reports of major industrial disputes. The second part of the collection includes writing by influential authors such as Gabriella Parca, periodicals and pamphlets by feminist groups of the 1960s-80s, and publications by the Women's Library in Milan. The material is in Italian and English.

The material is currently being processed and will be available from the spring of 2014. More information, and a rough inventory, can be found on the Library blog.  A small number of items are available from Dr Bracke's office (History) rather than from the Library.

The collection will be of interest to staff and students working on Italian history and culture, European social and political history of the 20th Century, global communism, and women's writing. With these additions, the University of Glasgow Library now houses one of largest collection of 20th-century Italian history material in the UK outside London. Thanks to the collection, prospective postgraduate students wishing to specialize in 20th-century Italian history will find Glasgow an attractive place to study.

A launch event, which Judith and Stephen Hellman will attend, is planned for May. On this occasion, current research in 20th-century Italian history and culture by scholars from Scotland and the North of England will be presented, and research collaborations discussed. More details will follow in due course.

Please contact Dr Bracke if you seek further information about this. Thanks to the History Subject for its support, as well as the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, in particular Dr. Penny Morris. My thanks also go to GUL's History specialist Clare Paterson and the cataloguing team.

 

First published: 10 December 2013

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