Displacing displacement: narratives for a haunting history

Abstract

In this article, building on recent theories of displacement, I propose a definition of post-displacement as a ‘displacement of displacement’, or the displacement of already displaced histories. The analysis focuses on the ethnographic case of Latina, an Italian city built in 1932 by the Fascist regime. Given its controversial past that cannot be celebrated, Latina is presented here as a displaced city, whose history cannot serve as a locus for place-making, meaning-making, and future-making. I analyse how the selective re-elaboration of the city’s history by Latina’s inhabitants and local public officials displaces an already displaced history. Through a momentary silencing of Fascism and renewed connections to national history, these narratives allow for the past to be spoken about and remembered, while also fostering a sense of the self in place. Nonetheless, Fascism cannot be completely erased and remains a haunting absent presence. This article thus offers a reflection on (post-)displacement and on the presence and absence of Fascism in contemporary Italy.