The Collezione di pubblicazioni coloniali italiane and the Library of the Ministry of Colonies (1911-1945)
The Collezione di pubblicazioni coloniali italiane, the cartographic collection and the photographic collection of the Central Directorate of Colonial Affairs (Direzione Centrale degli Affari Coloniali) of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were assembled in early 1911 by a group of colonial of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Bologna
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Bibliothecae.it |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://bibliothecae.unibo.it/article/view/20812 |
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| Summary: | The Collezione di pubblicazioni coloniali italiane, the cartographic collection and the photographic collection of the Central Directorate of Colonial Affairs (Direzione Centrale degli Affari Coloniali) of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were assembled in early 1911 by a group of colonial officers and scholars for the Turin International Exhibition (Esposizione Internazionale di Torino), which took place between 29th April and 19th November, 1911. The work was carried out with the aim of representing what Italy could produce at an institutional level in the field of ‘colonial culture’, and to demonstrate what Italian colonial institutions could do in order to generate interest and propaganda. In December 1911, the aforementioned group was framed in a new Research Office (Ufficio Studi). While the ‘Esposizione’ was still open, on 29 September, the Italo-Turkish War began, ending the following year, on 18 October. A month later, on 20 November 1912, the Ministry of Colonies (Ministero delle Colonie) was born. After a brief transition period, the Research Office moved to the new Ministry and remained active for almost half a century: documents tell us that it worked until a few years after the closure of the Ministry of Italian Africa (Ministero dell’Africa Italiana, 1953) within the Office for the Affairs of the Suppressed Ministry of Italian Africa of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (Ufficio per gli Affari del Soppresso Ministero dell’Africa italiana della Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, 1954-55). Together with the Research Office, the three collections - which currently stand among the most important bibliographic, cartographic and photographic sources concerning Africa and the Italian colonies in Italy - were transferred. This work follows in detail the events that led to the formation of these collections and lists the material that is still available at the “IsIAO Library” - African and Oriental Collections of the National Central Library of Rome (“Biblioteca IsIAO” - Sala delle Collezioni Africane e Orientali della Biblioteca nazionale centrale di Roma). |
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| ISSN: | 2280-7934 2283-9364 |