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Italy as Bellwether: Politics, Culture, and Europe’s Futures
This conference honours the memory of Patrick McCarthy—Pembroke alumnus, Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna professor, and a penetrating scholar of European politics, culture, and political economy. McCarthy’s work cut across disciplines and genres, moving from literature to economics with a keen eye for liminal figures, the politics of sexuality and language, and the intersections of sport, culture, and power.
The contradictions of Italian politics, McCarthy demonstrated, repeatedly foreshadowed Europe’s future. Today, under Giorgia Meloni, Italy again stands at the centre of continental and transatlantic debates. By highlighting Italy in this bellwether role, the conference seeks to carry Patrick McCarthy’s insights into the present, asking what Italy’s trajectory reveals about the future of European democracy and its place in the Atlantic order.
For more information, or to join in-person or remotely, please email the ISO Events Co-ordinator, Kate McKee, at italianstudies@area.ox.ac.uk.
Programme
13:30 – Arrival and registration
14:00 – Introductions: Guido Bonsaver, Aida Hozić, Erik Jones
14:30 – Culture and society roundtable (Guido Bonsaver, chair/discussant) – Prof. Stephen Gundle (Warwick) – ‘Culture and politics’ – Prof. Charlotte Ross (Oxford) – ‘Meloni’s populism’ – Prof. David Ellwood (Johns Hopkins, Bologna) – ‘Italy’s soft power’ – Prof. Felia Allum (Bath) – ‘Italian mafia, civic society and the state’
16:00 – Refreshment Break
16:30 – Politics roundtable (Aida Hozić, chair/discussant) – Prof. Federica Genovese (Oxford) – ‘Italian public opinion’ – Prof. Kalypso Nicolaïdis (Oxford) – ‘Italy in Europe’ – Prof. John Harper (Johns Hopkins, Bologna) – ‘Italy and the USA’ – Prof. Erik Jones (EUI, Florence) – ‘The future of transatlantic relations’
18:00 – Drinks reception
Date:
19 February 2026, 13:30
Venue:
Harold Lee Room
Speakers:
Professor Guido Bonsaver,
Prof Charlotte Ross (University of Oxford),
Prof Felia Allum (University of Bath),
Prof John Harper (Johns Hopkins),
Prof David Ellwood (Johns Hopkins),
Prof Erik Jones (EUI),
Prof Federica Genovese (University of Oxford),
Prof Kalypso Nicolaïdis (University of Oxford)
Organisers:
Prof Aida Hozić (University of Florida),
Prof Erik Jones (EUI),
Professor Guido Bonsaver
Organiser contact email address:
italianstudies@area.ox.ac.uk
Booking required?:
Required
Booking email:
italianstudies@area.ox.ac.uk
Cost:
Free
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Katherine McKee
