Lecture by Etienne Anheim, “The Role of the Renaissance in the Transformation of the Western Political Imaginary: Petrarch’s Africa and Death for the ‘Fatherland’”
236 Royce Hall 10745 Dickson Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, United StatesAbstract: The ideal of "death for the fatherland" (Pro patria mori) may seem to be an invariable reality of human society, from Sparta and Athens to today's wars. In fact, it is a political imaginary whose periodization can be traced. Ernst Kantorowicz, in a famous article published in 1951, proposed an analysis of this problem. In this lecture, I will propose a new interpretation, both historical and historiographical, based on Francesco Petrarca's (1304-1374) epic poem Africa. In particular, I will highlight the role of the Renaissance in the construction of a new imaginary of war in the West, quite different from the ancient...
