The aim of the project Making the Eastern Border of Fascist Italy. Cultural Memory in Istria and Fiume/Rijeka During the Interwar Period is to offer insights in the culture of memory and commemorative practices during the period of Italian sovereignty in Istria and Fiume/Rijeka, with a special emphasis on fascism and the memory of the First World War.
In an area that experienced several radical historical ruptures and regime changes in the 20th century, accompanied by the destruction of monuments and changes in toponyms, the project aims to systematically investigate and historically contextualize, for the first time, the memory policies of the fascist regime on the then Italian eastern border. Besides the perspective of the defeated in World War I, the analysis of the reactions of the population and antifascist initiatives, the project will analyze the continuity of the fascist memory matrix in contemporary narratives about the Italian eastern border.