Although political satire can be considered a significant part of humor studies and cultural studies, it has been systematically neglected by theorists of both disciplines. This article looks critically at the role of political humor expressed in early Italian satirical journals in the period 1919–1924, which was central to the rise of fascism. Freud's techniques of condensation and displacement and Gramsci's account of hegemony will be the analytical tools for the satirical discourse and its counter-hegemonic project to the fascist ideological ascendance. Both tools will facilitate my analysis of political satire as a discourse expressing revolutionary sentiments and occupying a middle space between the dominant ideology and the discourse that resists it. In order to understand this space, which is not anti-hegemonic but counter-hegemonic, we should look at the language of the dominant discourse and how this is used by political satire. Having in mind the particular role of censorship and the constraints it poses to the satirical discourse, I will discuss three empirical sections in relation to the ascent of Fascism: the role of power, the political consensus and the political practices.
The paper discusses the socialist/Leftist political humour during Mussolini's ascendance to power (1919)(1920)(1921)(1922)(1923)(1924)(1925). I am especially concerned with the part of political satire that was drawn by the Left mocking the Left itself. This type of political satire has a specificity very challenging and interesting at the same time. It makes evident the limits of the fascist censor and draws the line between political satire and crude political propaganda. I will analyse political cartoons of the aforementioned period and Gramsci's theory of hegemony will shed light both to the reading of this humorous discourse and the left's political practices. The paper is divided into four sub-themes discussing the representation of socialism with the bourgeoisie, the Biennio Rosso, the Socialist fragmentation and the Aventino. The narrative across these major events reveals the counter-hegemonic project of the Left to the fascist ascendance together with their share of responsibility for the latter's power.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.