Joshua Arthurs
Western Civilization Post-Doctoral Fellow
Joshua Arthurs received his BA from Wesleyan University in 1997 and his M.A. (1999) and Ph.D. (2007) from the University of Chicago. He is acultural historian of modern Europe, with a focus on nineteenth- and twentieth-century Italy. His recent dissertation, “A Revolution inthe Idea of Rome: Excavating Modernity in Fascist Italy,” examined the intersection of political culture, the historical disciplines and the
idea of Rome under Mussolini’s regime. Across a number of case studies in urban archaeology, museum display and historiography, he argues that romanit (the regime’s identification with ancient Rome)
should be understood not as nostalgia for a distant past but as a discourse of modernity, a vocabulary for expressing Fascism’s desire to reclaim and refashion Italy. The dissertation has recently been awarded the Best Unpublished Manuscript Prize from the Society for Italian Historical Studies. He is also in the early stages of a new project on the afterlife of Fascist monuments in post-WWII Italy. More generally, Dr. Arthurs’ research interests include comparative and transnational approaches to fascism and nationalism; the classical tradition and ideas of Europe and the West; reflexive approaches to the historical disciplines; and critical theories of modernity.
Research Interests
19th and 20th century Italy, Europe and the Mediterranean; fascism and
the far right; the politics of archaeology, monuments and
historiography
Office Hours (Fall 2008)
W 1:00–3:00 pm
Contact
Email: jarthurs@gmu.edu
Phone: 703.993.4526
Office: Robinson B 375C