George L. Mosse Program in History
Department of History

60 Years: Fascism Seminar Revisited

Organizational Committee:

Donatello Aramini
Sapienza Università di Roma

Ofer Ashkenazi
The Hebrew University in Jerusalem

Darcy Buerkle
Smith College

Giuliana Chamedes
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Manuela Consonni
Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism

Skye Doney
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Atina Grossmann
The Cooper Union

Dagmar Herzog
City University of New York

Silvia Lucciarini
Sapienza Università di Roma

Elissa Mailänder
Sciences Po, Paris

Anson Rabinbach
Princeton University

Alessandra Tarquini
Sapienza Università di Roma

In 1963, historian George L. Mosse led a landmark seminar at Stanford University, bringing together scholars from diverse disciplines and countries to analyze the history of Nazism and Italian Fascism, just eighteen years after World War II. Their discussions defined the early parameters of European fascism amidst the post-war era’s intellectual landscape.

Sixty years later, the George L. Mosse Program in History is organizing a multi-day conference from January 9 to January 13, 2025, to reassess fascism in the context of contemporary European movements. More than thirty scholars from the US, Europe, the UK, and Israel will gather to critically examine and redefine “fascism” in light of present-day populist, anti-democratic, illiberal, and authoritarian ideologies.

The 2025 seminar aims to revisit earlier scholarly interpretations of far-right movements, initiated by figures like Mosse a generation earlier, while also seeking to reinterpret fascism through the lens of current geopolitical and cultural realities. This approach intends to expand upon and potentially revise existing understandings of the concept, fostering new insights and historiographical directions. Following the seminar, the committee plans to publish two companion volumes: Fascism Then, featuring annotated proceedings from the original 1963 seminar, and Fascism Now, a transcript of the 2025 discussions, to contribute to ongoing academic discourse on the subject.

Full conference description here.

Upcoming Key Dates:

  • 15 March 2025: Abstract due (250-word)
  • 15 September 2025: Final paper due

Thursday, 9 January 2025, 09:00-12:00 — Sapienza Università di Roma, Sala Lauree

Institutional Welcome (9:00-9:30)

Antonella Polimeni, Magnifica Rettrice della Sapienza Università di Roma

Emma Galli, Direttrice del Dipartimento di Scienze Sociali ed Economiche, Sapienza Università di Roma

Maria Cristina Marchetti, Direttrice del Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche, Sapienza Università di Roma

Opening Remarks (09:30 – 09:45)

Dr. Skye Doney

Professor Donatello Aramini

Professor Silvia Lucciarini

Professor Alessandra Tarquini

Professor Aliza Wong

Dr. Frank Mecklenburg

Donatello Aramini is Assistant Professor in Contemporary History at the Department of Political Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome.
Donatello Aramini is Assistant Professor in Contemporary History at the Department of Political Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome.
2025.01 - HS - Silvia Lucciarini-150
Silvia Lucciarini is Associate Professor of Sociology of Economic and Labour Processes in the Department of Social and Economic Sciences (DiSSE) at Sapienza University of Rome.
Alessandra Tarquini is professor of contemporary history at Sapienza University of Rome.
Alessandra Tarquini is professor of contemporary history at Sapienza University of Rome.
Aliza Wong is director of the American Academy in Rome and professor of History and Honors at Texas Tech University.
Aliza Wong is director of the American Academy in Rome and professor of History and Honors at Texas Tech University.
Frank Mecklenburg is the Mark M. and Lottie Salton Senior Historian, Director of Research and Chief Archivist at the Leo Baeck Institute in New York
Frank Mecklenburg is the Mark M. and Lottie Salton Senior Historian, Director of Research and Chief Archivist at the Leo Baeck Institute in New York.

Session 1: Fascism and Totalitarianism (10:00 – 12:00)

Moderator: Mark Roseman

Speaker: Alessandra Tarquini

Respondents: 

Professor Olivier Forlin

Professor Anson Rabinbach

Mark Roseman is Distinguished Professor and Pat M Glazer Chair in Jewish Studies at Indiana University.
Alessandra Tarquini is professor of contemporary history at Sapienza University of Rome.
Alessandra Tarquini is professor of contemporary history at Sapienza University of Rome.
Olivier Forlin is an associate professor of history, doctor in contemporary history, and lecturer at the Pierre Mendès France Grenoble-II University.
Olivier Forlin is an associate professor of history, doctor in contemporary history, and lecturer at the Pierre Mendès France Grenoble-II University.
Anson Rabinbach is Philip and Beulah Rollins Professor of History at Princeton University and is a founding editor of New German Critique.
Anson Rabinbach is Philip and Beulah Rollins Professor of History at Princeton University and is a founding editor of New German Critique.

Thursday, 9 January 2025, 14:00-18:30 — Villa Aurelia, American Academy in Rome

Session 2: Sixty Years Since Stanford: What’s New in Fascist Studies (14:00 – 16:00)

Moderator: Aliza Wong

Speaker: Professor Marie-Anne Matard-Bonucci

Respondents: 

Professor Brian J. Griffith

Professor Aristotle Kallis

Aliza Wong is director of the American Academy in Rome and professor of History and Honors at Texas Tech University.
Aliza Wong is director of the American Academy in Rome and professor of History and Honors at Texas Tech University.
Marie-Anne Matard-Bonucci is Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Paris 8
Marie-Anne Matard-Bonucci is Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Paris 8.
Brian J Griffith is an Assistant Professor of Modern European History at California State University, Fresno.
Brian J. Griffith is an Assistant Professor of Modern European History at California State University, Fresno.
Aristotle Kallis is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the School of Humanities, Keele University, UK.
Aristotle Kallis is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the School of Humanities, Keele University, UK.

Session 3: Fascism as Modernity (16:30 – 18:30)

Moderator: Dagmar Herzog

Speaker: Professor Enzo Traverso

Respondents: 

Professor Elissa Mailänder

Professor Renato Moro

Dagmar Herzog is Distinguished Professor of History at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Dagmar Herzog is Distinguished Professor of History at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Enzo Traverso is Susan and Barton Winokur Professor in the Humanities at Cornell University.
Enzo Traverso is Susan and Barton Winokur Professor in the Humanities at Cornell University.
Elissa Mailänder is a historian of gender, sexuality, and everyday life whose research focuses on violence, war, and mass dictatorship, particularly Nazism.
Elissa Mailänder is a historian of gender, sexuality, and everyday life whose research focuses on violence, war, and mass dictatorship, particularly Nazism.
Renato Moro is a Emeritus Professor of Contemporary History at Roma Tre University.
Renato Moro is a Emeritus Professor of Contemporary History at Roma Tre University.

Friday, 10 January 2025, 10:00-18:30 — American Academy in Rome, Lecture Room, Via Angelo Masina, 5

Session 4: The New Fascist Body (10:00 – 12:00)

Moderator: Alessandra Tarquini

Speaker: Professor Dagmar Herzog

Respondents: 

Professor Darcy Buerkle

Professor Lorenzo Benadusi

Alessandra Tarquini is professor of contemporary history at Sapienza University of Rome.
Alessandra Tarquini is professor of contemporary history at Sapienza University of Rome.
Dagmar Herzog is Distinguished Professor of History at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Dagmar Herzog is Distinguished Professor of History at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Darcy Buerkle is Professor of History at Smith College where she has served as chair of her department and Smith’s Faculty Council.
Darcy Buerkle is Professor of History at Smith College where she has served as chair of her department and Smith’s Faculty Council.
Lorenzo Benadusi is Professor of Contemporary History and European Cultural History at the Roma Tre University.
Lorenzo Benadusi is Professor of Contemporary History and European Cultural History at the Roma Tre University.

Session 5 : Images of Fascism (14:00 – 16:00)

Moderator: Atina Grossmann

Speaker: Professor Raffaele Bedarida

Respondents: 

Professor Ofer Ashkenazi

Professor Mary Louise Roberts

(14:00 – 16:00)

Atina Grossmann is Professor of History at the Cooper Union in New York City.
Atina Grossmann is Professor of History at the Cooper Union in New York City.
Raffaele Bedarida is an art historian and curator specializing in transnational modernism and politics.
Raffaele Bedarida is an art historian and curator specializing in transnational modernism and politics at Sapienza Università di Roma.
Ofer Ashkenazi is a Professor of History and the Director of the Koebner-Minerva Center for German History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Ofer Ashkenazi is a Professor of History and the Director of the Koebner-Minerva Center for German History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Mary Louise Roberts is the emeriti WARF Distinguished Lucie Aubrac Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Mary Louise Roberts is the emeriti WARF Distinguished Lucie Aubrac Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Session 6: Fascist Empires (16:30 – 18:30)

Moderator: Darcy Buerkle

Speaker: Professor Pamela Ballinger

Respondents: 

Professor Giuliana Chamedes

Professor Roberta Pergher

Darcy Buerkle is Professor of History at Smith College where she has served as chair of her department and Smith’s Faculty Council.
Darcy Buerkle is Professor of History at Smith College where she has served as chair of her department and Smith’s Faculty Council.
Pamela Ballinger is Professor of History and the Fred Cuny Chair in the History of Human Rights at the University of Michigan.
Pamela Ballinger is Professor of History and the Fred Cuny Chair in the History of Human Rights at the University of Michigan.
Giuliana Chamedes is Mellon Morgridge Associate Professor of History at UW Madison.
Giuliana Chamedes is Mellon Morgridge Associate Professor of History at UW Madison.
Roberta Pergher is Associate Professor of History at Indiana University.
Roberta Pergher is Associate Professor of History at Indiana University.

Saturday, 11 January 2025, 09:00-18:30 — Sapienza Università di Roma, Sale Lauree

Session 7: Fascism and Nationalism (9:00 – 11:00)

Moderator: Mary Nolan

Speaker: Professor Eric Kurlander

Respondents: 

Professor Donatello Aramini

Professor Mercedes Peñalba-Sotorrío

Mary Nolan is Professor of History emerita at New York University.
Mary Nolan is Professor of History emerita at New York University.
Eric Kurlander is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at Stetson University.
Eric Kurlander is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at Stetson University.
Donatello Aramini is Assistant Professor in Contemporary History at the Department of Political Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome.
Donatello Aramini is Assistant Professor in Contemporary History at the Department of Political Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome.
Mercedes Peñalba-Sotorrío is senior lecturer in European Modern History at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Mercedes Peñalba-Sotorrío is senior lecturer in European Modern History at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Session 8: Violence and War (11:30 – 13:30)

Moderator: Manuela Consonni

Speaker: Professor Annette Becker

Respondents: 

Professor Omer Bartov

Professor Sven Reichardt

Manuela Consonni is the Pela and Adam Starkopf Chair in Holocaust Studies at the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Manuela Consonni is the Pela and Adam Starkopf Chair in Holocaust Studies at the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Annette Becker is Professor Emerita of Modern History at Paris-Nanterre and a senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France.
Annette Becker is Professor Emerita of Modern History at Paris-Nanterre and a senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France.
Omer Bartov is the Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University.
Omer Bartov is the Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University.
Sven Reichardt is Distinguished Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Konstanz.
Sven Reichardt is Distinguished Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Konstanz.

Session 9: Antisemitism and Racism (15:00 – 17:00)

Moderator: Ofer Ashkenazi

Speaker: Professor Paul Hanebrink

Respondents: 

Professor Manuela Consonni

Professor Atina Grossmann

Ofer Ashkenazi is a Professor of History and the Director of the Koebner-Minerva Center for German History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Ofer Ashkenazi is a Professor of History and the Director of the Koebner-Minerva Center for German History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Paul Hanebrink is Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Rutgers University.
Paul Hanebrink is Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Rutgers University.
Manuela Consonni is the Pela and Adam Starkopf Chair in Holocaust Studies at the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Manuela Consonni is the Pela and Adam Starkopf Chair in Holocaust Studies at the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Atina Grossmann is Professor of History at the Cooper Union in New York City.
Atina Grossmann is Professor of History at the Cooper Union in New York City.

Session 10: New Perspectives on Fascism (17:00-18:30)

Moderator: Elissa Mailänder

Commentator: Terrence Peterson

Speakers:
Austin Clements

Dr. Robert Corban

Dr. Amy King

Elissa Mailänder is a historian of gender, sexuality, and everyday life whose research focuses on violence, war, and mass dictatorship, particularly Nazism.
Elissa Mailänder is a historian of gender, sexuality, and everyday life whose research focuses on violence, war, and mass dictatorship, particularly Nazism.
Terrence Peterson is Associate Professor of History at Florida International University.
Austin J. Clements is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at Stanford University.
Austin J. Clements is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at Stanford University.
Robert Corban is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Mississippi, where he has returned to teach the histories of fascism, capitalism and war in Europe.
Robert Corban is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Mississippi.
Amy King is a Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Bristol in the U.K.
Amy King is a Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Bristol in the U.K.

Sunday, 12 January 2025, 09:00-13:30 — Sapienza Università di Roma, Sale Lauree

Session 11: Continuities of Fascism (09:00 – 11:00)

Moderator: Mary Louise Roberts

Speaker: Professor Jennifer Evans

Respondents: 

Professor Mary Nolan

Dr. Jonathon Catlin

Mary Louise Roberts is the emeriti WARF Distinguished Lucie Aubrac Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Mary Louise Roberts is the emeriti WARF Distinguished Lucie Aubrac Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Jennifer Evans is Professor of European History at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
Jennifer Evans is Professor of European History at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
Mary Nolan is Professor of History emerita at New York University.
Mary Nolan is Professor of History emerita at New York University.
Jonathon Catlin is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Humanities Center at the University of Rochester.
Jonathon Catlin is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Humanities Center at the University of Rochester.

Session 12: Fascist Afterlives (11:30 – 13:30)

Moderator: Donatello Aramini

Speaker: Professor Federico Finchelstein

Respondents: 

Professor António Costa Pinto

Professor Diana Garvin

Donatello Aramini is Assistant Professor in Contemporary History at the Department of Political Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome.
Donatello Aramini is Assistant Professor in Contemporary History at the Department of Political Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome.
Federico Finchelstein is Professor of History at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College.
Federico Finchelstein is Professor of History at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College.
António Costa Pinto is Research Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon.
António Costa Pinto is Research Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon.
Diana Garvin is Assistant Professor of Italian with a focus on Mediterranean Studies at the University of Oregon.
Diana Garvin is Assistant Professor of Italian with a focus on Mediterranean Studies at the University of Oregon.

Final Session: Concluding Discussion (14:30 – 16:00)

Discussion to be facilitated by the seminar organizers.

Donatello Aramini
Sapienza Università di Roma

Ofer Ashkenazi
The Hebrew University in Jerusalem

Darcy Buerkle
Smith College

Giuliana Chamedes
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Manuela Consonni
Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism

Skye Doney
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Atina Grossmann
The Cooper Union

Dagmar Herzog
City University of New York

Elissa Mailänder
Sciences Po, Paris

Anson Rabinbach
Princeton University

Silvia Lucciarini
Sapienza Università di Roma

Alessandra Tarquini
Sapienza Università di Roma

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