Image of Africa in Italian Music

Luca Bussotti is Professor at the Technical University of Mozambique, with teaching experiences in Italy, Portugal, Brazil and Mozambique. He has matured a long experience in Italian as well as in African Studies, privileging an approach centered on political and cultural analysis. He is the author of a complete history of Italian citizenship (La cittadinanza degli italiani, Angeli, 2002), of the book Minoranze e multiculturalismo nell’Italia contemporanea (IBIS, 2013), on the formation of a multicultural society in Italy and in Europe, of a study on the U.S. policy in Austral Africa during the Cold War (Dal sabotaggio alla cooperazione, printed by the University of Trieste, Italy, 2024) and (with Gianfranco Giovannone) of a book on diversified cultural aspects of Africa (Sguardi sull’Africa, IBIS, 2024). He has also edited about 20 books and written almost 100 articles in international journals, including about 10 on issues related to music, in Africa as well as in Italy.

• PrefaceIntroductionChapter 1. Theoretical ApproachChapter 2. MethodologyChapter 3. A Short Overview on the Image of Africa in Italian Culture: From Dante to the Dawn of ColonialismChapter 4. A First Approach to Africa: Popular Italian Music at the Beginning of Colonialism (1888-1912)Chapter 5. Italian Popular Music in the Face of Fascist ColonialismChapter 6. The Representation of Africa after the Second World War: Africa as Absence (1940s-1970s)Chapter 7. A Long Transition: From Africa as Metaphor to Africa as Reality (1980s-2000s)Chapter 8. Decolonizing the Approach: Africa as a Subject (from 2000 to the present)Chapter 9. After the 2G Network: The Second Generation Rappers between Commitment and IndividualismChapter 10. Besides the African-Italia Rappers: The Representation of Africa between Continuity and InnovationFinal RemarksReferencesAbout the Author

"Luca Bussotti's book is a mandatory reference that identifies and zooms into the multilayered racism that persists in Italy's arts, music, cinema, and popular culture. It is a must-read for anyone interested in colonial stereotypes, fascist culture, and critical cultural studies."