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.
5 Articles by: Jacopo Custodi
Jacopo Custodi is a political scientist at the Scuola Normale Superiore and a comparative politics professor at Georgetown University. His books include Un’idea di Paese. La nazione nel pensiero di sinistra (Castelvecchi, 2023) and Radical Left Parties and National Identity in Spain, Italy and Portugal (Palgrave, 2024).
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.