In Italy’s Financial Capital, Socialism Is Back in the Air
With his down-to-earth focus on cost-of-living issues, Milan mayoral candidate Lorenzo Pacini is seeking to reconnect with Italian traditions of city-hall socialism.
13 Article(s) by: Jacopo Custodi
Jacopo Custodi is a research fellow in political science at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Italy. His most recent books are Un’idea di Paese and Radical Left Parties and National Identity in Spain, Italy, and Portugal.
Europe’s Far Right Kisses the Ring
Having long boasted about putting their own countries’ interests first, Europe’s far-right parties are now slavishly supporting the latest US-Israeli war. While they opt for vassalage, antiwar forces have turned out to be the real defenders of sovereignty.
Italian Rapper Caparezza Has Voted Communist All His Life
Caparezza is one of Italy’s most inventive rappers, and one of few who combine mainstream success with political engagement. He spoke to Jacobin about music, freedom, and his hometown of Molfetta, which recently elected a communist mayor.
Can Britain’s Greens Become a Working-Class Party?
In Britain, left-populist Green leader Zack Polanski has emphasized cost-of-living issues. While his party has won over parts of the working class alienated by Labour, broadening this base remains an uphill challenge.
Italy’s Ruling Class Has Found Its Plan B
Genoa’s mayor, Silvia Salis, is being touted by Italy’s liberal press and economic establishment as the natural challenger to Giorgia Meloni. The campaign isn’t really about defeating Meloni but about taming the coalition that might replace her.
Europe’s Far Right Want to Be American Vassals
Europe’s far-right parties have long boasted about putting their own countries’ interests first but now slavishly support the latest US-Israeli war. While they opt for vassalage, antiwar forces have turned out to be the real defenders of sovereignty.
Gaza Has Sparked Italy’s Biggest Protests in Years
Today’s general strike in Italy paralyzed transport and brought two million people into the streets. Even after years of setbacks for organized labor, it staged a historic protest in solidarity with Palestine.
Class Dealignment Has Devastated the Italian Left
In Italy, blue-collar industrial workers are abandoning the Left. As in other countries, they don’t represent the entire working class, but their loss of support should still deeply trouble the Italian left.
The Left Can’t Cede Patriotism to the Right
Instead of allowing the Right to dominate discussions of patriotism, socialists should emulate past successful left projects that wed national belonging to an inclusive, progressive politics.
Podemos’s Left-Populism Fell Victim to Its Elitist Culture
Upon its creation ten years ago, Podemos promised to rally the masses against the establishment parties. But it soon became dominated by highly educated progressives, confining its appeal to just part of the working class.
Giuseppe Garibaldi Was a Proud Internationalist
On this day in 1882, Giuseppe Garibaldi died after a lifetime fighting for a united Italy. He combined his patriotism with a proud internationalism — and a thirst for freedom that inspired working-class struggles throughout the twentieth century.
Italy’s Election Is Dominated by Postfascists — but the Left Is Raising Its Head
The once mighty Italian left failed to enter parliament in any of the last three general elections. As the far right makes yet another breakthrough, it’s high time the Left organized around working-class Italians’ deep economic malaise.
Italian Identity Doesn’t Have to Belong to the Far Right
Xenophobic nationalism has assumed a central role in Italian political life in recent decades. But calls for the country’s Left to “reject Italian identity” are a dead end — and risk distancing it from its own popular traditions.