Role
Dr Fantoni teaches Modern European History with a focus on Fascism, media and history and the public and political use of history.
Career overview
Before coming to Nottingham Trent, Dr Fantoni taught at Strathclyde University, Glasgow (2009 - 2013); at the Centro Promozione Italiana, Edinburgh (2012/13) and at secondary school level in Italy (2006 - 2009).
Research areas
Gianluca Fantoni studies the public use of history and the uses and abuses of history for political aims. On the issue of the Jewish Brigade Group, he has published an article in the Journal of Modern History, 93 (1), (March 2021): 150–177, and a book with the Italian publisher Einaudi (January 2022). An English version of the book is in publication with McGill-Queen's University Press.
He also studies the relationship between film and history, and on this subject he has recently published the book Italy Through the Red Lens: Italian Politics and Society in Communist Propaganda Films (1946-79), Palgrave US, April 2021.
Dr Fantoni's current research areas are: History of the Italian left, Italian post-war cinema, the use of cinematic texts in historical research, the public and political use of history, the History of the Jewish Brigade and the Italian Campaign in WW2. Opportunities arise to carry out postgraduate research towards an MPhil / PhD in the areas identified above.
External activity
Dr Fantoni is a member of the Association for the Study on Modern Italy (ASMI) and co-editor of the ASMI's academic journal Modern Italy (Cambridge University Press).
Publications
- Brotherhood of Arms: Atlanticism, Patriotism and Sublimation of War in 1950s Italian War Movies, Fantoni G in T. Cragin ed., Resistance, heroism, loss: World War II in Italian literature and film. The Fairleigh Dickinson University Press series in Italian studies. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018, 21 - 38.
- ‘We all miss you’: Enrico Berlinguer in post-Berlin Wall Italy, Cooke, P and Fantoni G, Twentieth Century Communism, Issue: 11: Memory and Nostalgia, Autumn 2016, 130 - 146.
- A very long engagement: the use of cinematic texts in historical research, Fantoni G in J Carlsten and F McGarry eds., Film and History, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015, 18 - 31.
- After the fall: politics, the public use of history and the historiography of the Italian Communist Party (1991 – 2011), Fantoni G, Journal of Contemporary History, 2014, 49 (4), 815 - 836.
- La Mineraria lavori o lasci lavorare: myth and memory of a struggle in Tuscany, Fantoni G, Modern Italy, 2011, 2 (16), 195 – 208.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Gianluca's research contributes towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4, 10 and 16.
As a historian of modern Italy, public history, antisemitism, fascism, war and memory, his work promotes inclusive and evidence-based education by making complex historical questions accessible to students, researchers and wider audiences, in line with SDG Goal 4: Quality Education.
Gianluca's research on the Jewish Brigade, fascism, political propaganda and the public use and abuse of history addresses the historical roots of racism, exclusion and political violence, contributing to a better understanding of inequality and discrimination, connecting with SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.
Finally, by examining how societies remember conflict, resist authoritarianism and use history in public debate, his work supports critical reflection on democratic values, justice, human rights and peaceful institutions, contributing to SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
