History Needs to be Rewritten: Italian Feminist Bookstores in the 1980s. Three Case Studies.

Abstract

This work offers an expanded narrative of feminist movements and projects in 1980s Italy, as it strives to diversify and make more abundant the landscape of related stories. While current narratives insist upon the neoliberal cultural moment of mainstream politics in 1980s Italy and emphasize the trivialization of politics within a general decline and disengagement when it comes to social issues, this work rather shows how transformed, and yet radical and vital feminist movements and projects of that period were. To do so, I have researched moments of feminist activism, social and political engagement, and cultural participation that have been and are on the margins of the mainstream historical narrative of that decade. The methodology that informs this work involves recognizing and problematizing the bibliography already available, conducting archival research, and personal interviews with feminist activists of the time, as well as a radical questioning of my own positionality that accompanies the development of the argument and constitutes my feminist approach to conducting research. Feminist bookstores are at the core of this research and the three case studies presented are Liberia delle donne di Firenze, Liberia Luccoli in Genoa, and Libreria Librellula in Bologna. The focus on these defined bookstores, which call for careful and local observation, led to the identification of complex relationships and broader scenarios, and ultimately to an understanding of the transformations and characteristics of feminist movements of the time that can avoid their essentialization and simplification. The results of this project are to offer spaces for marginalized stories, to enrich the available narratives about Italian feminism in the 1980s, and to acknowledge its legacy, which for me is the willingness to put oneself out there and rise to the challenge of upsetting one's habits and ways of thinking. Today we may witness the many ways people strive for collective action and try to find ways of putting it into practice. By looking back to tried and true forms of community efforts, such as feminist bookstores, this work becomes an additional tool to address this social, cultural and political need.