The essay offers a reflection on the roots and the progression of 'urbicide'. There are two fundamental case studies. The first concerns the role of Albert Speer in the construction of a dystopian urban imaginary. The analysis focuses on the Hitlerian baumeister's 1941 text Neue Deutsche Baukunst, to be understood as an 'abuse of history'. The second case study relates to the Balkan wars, in which sophisticated forms of social, religious, and anthropological coexistence were destroyed along with the cities. The analysis confirms Sebald's thesis on the paralysis generated over time by such destruction, while also highlighting how the elites who initiated the reconstruction have remained in power. The essay concludes with a concise analysis of the Reconstruction in Italy
Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy
Chapter Title
Una ricostruzione à la Sebald: tra paralisi razionale-emotiva dei cittadini e «protezione» delle élites
Authors
Carlo Olmo
Language
Italian
DOI
10.36253/978-88-99811-32-7.10
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Reinventare l’Italia
Book Subtitle
La cultura italiana tra Resistenza e Ricostruzione (1943-1948)
Editors
Alessandro Simoncini
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
144
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press, Perugia Stranieri University Press
DOI
10.36253/978-88-99811-32-7
ISBN Print
978-88-99811-30-3
eISBN (pdf)
978-88-99811-32-7
eISBN (epub)
978-88-99811-34-1
Series Title
Studi di storia e critica delle idee