STUDI D’ITALIANISTICA NELL’AFRICA AUSTRALE ITALIAN STUDIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

Abstract

Starting from a reflection on the sports entertainment industry and the role of advertising during the 20th century, the essay presents a socio-anthropological analysis of the significance of the relationship between a city and its football team (Bologna and the Bologna Football Club 1909) through the study of objects, memorabilia, memories. Studying the material culture of a century-old team means dealing with a specific cultural product, an indicator of facts, events, and people that have traced the history of a community. The analysis of these sports objects produces discourses, narratives, symbols, and meanings along a century of Italian cultural industry through its heroes and their jerseys, not just a flag, but rather brands, values, and lifestyles of an entire city.