MUSEO DEL CARCERE LE NUOVE

WELCOME

• Reflect on local surroundings (Court of Turin, OGR)
• Fits in with civic architectural setting and post-industrial heritage landscape
• Was a part of building boom under Victor Emanuele II - design is in keeping with popular European ideas of prison reform

REFLECTIONS ON TURIN

• Distinct local character and history
• Historical intellectual hub - university attracted free thinkers
• Mid 19th cent, Cesar’s Lombroso - founder of positivist criminology
• Turn of cent, Antonio Gramsci - influential Marxist philosopher

FASCISM AND RESISTANCE IN TURIN

• Hosted progressive ideas/resistance from 1922-45 but also active fascist movement
• Turin Massacre 1922 - in wake of Mussolini’s rise to power, a group of local fascists carried out 3 day terror campaign to beak resistance of working class labor movement

MORE ON TURIN FASCISM

• In response to killing of 2 fascists, they burned down the trade union headquarters, shut down influential Turin-based communist newspaper and publicly executed 11 communists/trade unionists
• WWII added further complication to this division of the Italian people - trauma of Nazi occupation has tended to dominate memory of fascism

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

• Non-profit organization Museum founded by Father Ruggero Cippola
• Volunteer led tours only
• Why? Sensitive history
• Trauma site decorum (no photos or film as well)

WATCH OUT FOR

• Religious influences (given origins of the organisation) - ideas of Catholic martyrdom, the ritual, processions/commemoration ceremonies

ALSO BE AWARE OF

• Trauma sites tropes - silence, darkness, absence, objects standing in as signifiers (eg beds, clothing)

AND THINK ABOUT THE USE OF THE SITE/NARRATIVE

• Consider how much the museum have intervened with the original site
• How is the space mediated?
• Which areas of the prison history are emphasized in the tour narrative? Particularly in relation to the Jewish suffering
• How are we as visitors/witnesses asked to engage with the narrative and the space?

CONTINUED

REFLECTIONS

• Though the tour mentions human rights violations under Mussolini’s national fascist party, its clear that the emphasis of the museum tour was on tyranny of the Nazi Fascist period (in occupied Italy 1943-45)
• Emphasises heroism of Resistance members under Nazi control

MYTH OF RESISTANCE

• This approach, coined 'the myth of the resistance' dominated memory of wartime and fascist period for many years
• Liberated nation led by former resistance members
• Can be seen as part of Italy's struggle to come to terms with its role in war (as collaborator and victim) - not comparable to Germany's process of recovery

REVISIONISM

• Myth of resistance as unified front is misleading - anti-fascists and fascists loyal to Mussolini resisted Nazi control for different reasons
• Revisionism seeks to reframe memory of resistance - questioning patriotism of resistance members and their tactics (taken up by right wing politicians)

MORE ON REVISIONISM

• Also part of this movement is tendency to shed a more sympathetic light on Mussolini and make comparisons to Hitlers regime

BRINGING IT BACK TO MUSEUM

• Here, resistance members are held up as martyrs - no interrogation of their ideals or motivations
• Leads us to consider purpose of trauma site - maybe this is not the most appropriate forum for bringing in this critical perspective?

OBSERVATIONS

• Patriotic commemoration was important element - Italian flag, repetition of ideas of martyrdom/sacrifice for free and democratic Italy
• Conforms to apologist trend in trauma museums - opening up shameful past in order to showcase condemnation and create possibility of reconciliation
• At the same time, narrative is not hyper nationalist EU flag at entrance

MORE OBSERVATIONS

• Idea of Christian charity is central - chaplain who founded museum, Sister Giussepina who risked her life to save Jewish inmates under SS control
• These elements reinforced by testimony of witnesses - quotes from workers at prison, objects user to inflict torture, objects like clothing standing in for absent victims

MORE OBSERVATIONS

• Would be interesting to see testimony from Jewish and anti-fascist victims as well as witnesses - doesn’t tell us that many Jews were active resistance members
• Overall, there appears to be minimal intervention with the space - experience not sensational and not overly voyeuristic
• Makes us think about functions of trauma sites - duty to remember/educate

FINAL OBSERVATIONS

• It is a shame that for non-Italian speaking visitors, much is lost in translation
• The rhetorical aspect is really important, especially given local significance of the site - the idea of passing in story through word of mouth
• Yet despite this, I think a lot can be said for taking in the experiential aspects of the space - it’s indexicality - a concrete reminder of a troubled aspect of local past
• Yet despite this, I think a lot can be said for taking in the experiential aspects of the space - it’s indexicality - a concrete reminder of a troubled aspect of local past
• Thoughts and reflections from the group?