Introduction: Franco-Italian Political Theory (original) (raw)
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Contemporary Italian political philosophy is one of the most frequently commented and cited modern philosophical trends. Often reduced to just another form of “theory” originating in continental Europe, it also functions in the global academia as Italian Theory, which immediately situates it in the context of the Anglo-Saxon reception of poststructuralist French philosophy (French Theory). Italian Theory is more than just another set of philosophical commentaries on the European philosophical tradition. Derived from the period of intense social struggles of the so-called Years of Lead in Italy, contemporary Italian political philosophy consciously adopts the perspective of analyzing politics, according to which the actual reality of political experience is conflict and crisis. The text traces the roots of this thought in the history of radical Italian social movements. The aim is to propose a coherent reading of Italian Theory, rooted in the social and political context of both its genesis and its current functioning in the global academia.