Historical Institute Parri Emilia-Romagna was founded in July 1963, in the groove and as an articulation ‘s regional INSMLI (National Institute for the History of the Liberation Movement in Italy), his first name was indeed Deputation for Emilia and Romagna for the history of the Resistance Movement and the War of Liberation. The Institute’s roots date back to 1947, when Ferruccio Parri had decided to raise the problem of preserving the heritage of the Resistance, a decision that led to the founding dell’Insmli in 1949, years in which the resistance was not universally accepted, or what historical event as such, or as common and shared source of republican democracy.
Then affirm the will to preserve the documentation of the Resistance, to give value and dignity of the nation’s archival records to cards and CLN of clandestine partisan, supporting the centrality of the Resistance in the history of twentieth-century Italy at least, indicate in the culture antifascist the construction site of a new democracy, had implications extraordinarily innovative, meant to talk at once with a recent past, still present and alive, and with a more remote past, going back to the origins of the Risorgimento, but also meant to participate in the design the new Italy, its civic culture, political and institutional.
Participation of these reflections, the Istituto Regionale Emilia-Romagna had already been announced on 24 January 1950, when the Red Room of the City of Bologna had met the Provisional Committee for the Defense of Bologna’s historic heritage Resistance. It was followed by the Promotion Committee for the establishment of Deputies for Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna for the history of the Liberation Movement, which took final form on 26 November 1962.
Corresponds to the vocation of origin Institute’s proposal for a bold relationship between recent history, including the entire span of the twentieth century and contemporary tensions.
The INSMLI and the network of partner institutions
The primary need that led to the establishment of the National Institutes and other historians of the Resistance was that proposed by Parri early as 1947, not to waste the memory of the liberation movement, first providing a gathering place where, quite naturally , meets the papers produced by the partisan movement. This connection was expressed in a historical phase in which uncertain, difficult and the acceptance of conflict appeared in the national consciousness of the resistance that, in fact, still had to fight to assert its value in the basic choices of the country. In the season of breaking the unity of impression ciellenistica and blast the international and internal conflict that was to take the name of the Cold War, had evolved further concern that the richness of complex experience Resistance was depleted to the risk of his own loss. This concern was heightened awareness of dall’affacciarsi an improbable setting of a recipient’s institutional documentation produced by an underground movement whose very recognition was uncertain. In essence, it was doubtful the same location of the archives of the Committees of National Liberation and training fighters.
The National Institute was born, later approved by a State law, January 16, 1967 No. 3, primarily to give an answer to that question: the archival collection and preservation of the sources for the story’s primary vocation ‘ Institute.
The preservation of documents and the study of the liberation war, while continuing in an effort that is far from complete, it spread to the history of anti over the two decades of the regime.
The Institute extends its interests.
With the consolidation of the Regional Institute, had shown the need to assist the development of studies on resistance is 1’antifascismo broaden the knowledge of fascism, an interest which soon was extended from the political history and the study of the system culture and society during the Fascist era in which he has devoted four issues of its magazine ‘s “Annals”: the second, in 1982, the Emilian countryside in the Fascist period, the third in 1983, Schools and Education in Emilia Romagna in the two wars, the fifth, in 1988, the PNF in Emilia Romagna. Political figures, union officials, cooperation, the ninth, in 1992, aspects of the culture of Emilia Romagna in the Fascist period. The study of the Fascist period remains one of the tasks that you assigned to the Institute.
Special consideration deserves the Spanish Civil War that the Institute, during the eighties, has chosen to focus on a case almost unique in Italian, both through acquisitions, is offering itself as a natural recipient of donations from the Italian fighters, institutions and individuals . Is the case of funds dell’Aicvas local and national (Italian Association of Volunteers antifascist fighters in Spain).
The interest in contemporary Spanish history, including extending our gaze to the whole of the Franco regime and the transition to democracy, has continued over the years and has produced the publication of the sixth “Annals” in 1990 for a definition of the Franco dictatorship, they have collected the acts of an international conference sponsored and organized by the Institute.
The enlargement of the eyes, beyond the narrow confines of the twenty months of armed struggle, to the whole history of Italy has brought a change in methods of investigation and research fields. A change also called for a new phase of the relationship between history and politics that began in the wake of the explosion of workers’ struggles and the student protests of the late sixties. While, in studies of the liberation war, renewed attention is focusing on topics such as the relationship between training fighters and population, and the components of social struggle, it advocates and developed the need to exit from the event Resistance to relocate – and assess in broad terms – the resistance in the history of Italy in a long term perspective. This led to an interest of study and collection of sources and documents relating not only to fascism in all its aspects, but to the whole Italian society of the twentieth century, the period between the two world wars to World War II to Italy Republican .
A new season of study and commitment:
Italy Republican and teaching of history
Since the mid-eighties, a new season of studies institute, connected to an activity of educational research with teachers of history, focused on the Second World War up to the fifties and the “economic miracle”, with priority l ‘ aspect of the relationship between history and the media in the study of cultural models offered to the public about the representation of Italian society and its past.
In this area were designed by the research and publication of the ‘Annals’ 7-8, businesses working class districts. The industrialization of Emilia Romagna, and the production of videos as magnetic memories, in 1983, worth more than the practice of grammar? Adventures of a small entrepreneur from Bologna, in 1986, and scenes for a history of consumption in 1989.
On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Resistance and Liberation, the Institute is back on the themes of World War II to treat them in the perspective of the post and the European dimension, and discusses the role that had the memory of what had happened in the first decade of life Then, by careful research paths.
The study and service: eyes wider.
The attention to the international dimension and the entire history of the twentieth century has developed in the nineties and Two Thousand confirming a specific interest in the relationship between history and memory, and between science and history-spread demand of history.
By assigning a new, more appropriate and prestigious venue by the City of Bologna in 2003 located in the former convent of St. Matthias, have increased the possibilities of working together with accountability to the community.
In the new location, the Institute has been developing well in their vocation as a cultural service, first with a library of prestige for both its size and the funds collected, both for its usability from the audience of scholars and citizens .
Similarly, new spaces have allowed the Institute to prove his emphasis on popular science in the field of history and its presence in the field of cultural institutions with a strong exhibition schedule by producing or hosting exhibitions.
In 2005, when they commence operations in new premises, the Institute held a conference organization that has submitted to the regional society and the city and brought into question the very nature, their vocations and interests, their services and projects. Participation and consensus expressed by the influential participants, representing institutions from the world of culture, academia, and communications were a confirmation and a new impetus for the work, the very life of the Institute.
The name of the Institute over the years
June 2, 1963: Member of the Emilia Romagna for the history of the movement
the Resistance and the War of Liberation;
November 3, 1979: Regional Institute for the History of Resistance and War
Liberation in Emilia-Romagna;
December 6, 1991: Ferruccio Parri Regional Institute for the history of the movement of
liberation and the present age in Emilia-Romagna;
January 30, 2003: Historical Institute Parri Emilia-Romagna.