Postcolonial Italy, a public history project mapping colonial heritage

Abstract

Postcolonial Italy: Mapping Colonial Heritage is a public history project which Daphné Budasz and Markus Wurzer founded in Florence in 2018. The project is designed as an independent, bottom-up initiative which aims to (a) identify and collect colonial traces, (b) provide critical knowledge on these traces in order to (c) trigger debate on colonial legacies and reflect on the social, political, and cultural consequences of colonialism beyond the academic context within Italy’s contemporary society. For the purpose of dissemination and accessibility, in 2019 Budasz and Wurzer created the website www.postcolonialitaly.com, which presents an interactive map that provides information about geographical sites related to colonialism. What started as a locally grounded public history project about colonial traces in Florence has over the past three years evolved into an Italy-wide participatory and collaborative venture. The map keeps growing by scholars who are working on colonial legacies in other Italian cities like Rome, Venice, Bolzano, Cagliari, Milan, Trieste, and Parma, and who are sharing their knowledge.