Kay Bea Jones will present (with Dr. Stephanie Pilat) “Searching for Italy: Lessons from the Legacy of Fascist Architecture Today” on February 22 in Haggerty Hall. Jones and Pilat are the authors and co-editors of The Routledge Companion to Italian Fascist Architecture (2020).

The fascist regime constructed thousands of new buildings across the Italian peninsula, islands and in the colonial territories. From hospitals, government ministries and post offices to stadiums, housing, summer camps and party headquarters, the physical legacy of the regime maintains a presence in nearly every Italian city and post-colonial territory today. How residents, planners, artists and architects adapt and transform the physical legacy of fascism today reflects more than historic preservation trends or policies. What we do with the physical legacy of fascism reflects which parts of fascist history we valorize, which we neglect, as well as which histories get hidden from public view, diminished, overshadowed, revised and forgotten.

In searching for Italy, Jones and Pilat will share some of the many stories of how the legacy of fascism is being reconsidered and rewritten by scholars, citizens and communities. They will then invite a discussion with the audience on the challenges of engaging contested historical sites today. A reception will follow. 

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