Fabio Sappino (LSE) - 2024-25 Students
f.sappino@lse.ac.uk

Empire of Governors. A collective biography of Italian colonial governors (1897-1935)

My thesis project aims to create a collective biography of the civil governors of the Italian colonies between 1897 and 1935. The political biographies of some of the most influential governors in Italian colonial history will be the tool to examine how these figures had an impact as foreign policy makers. The figure of the governor is typically understood as a public administrator in a specific realm, the colonial space. Some governors, however, went beyond their role as administrators, promoting their agencies beyond colonial space. In this respect, this research aims to analyse the ability of the governors to propose themselves as geopolitical actors beyond their administrative functions and the ways through which the governors interacted with traditional non-European authorities. The focus on individuals will also allow a reflection on the elements of continuity and rupture in the evolution of Italian colonial administration. In this regard, for example, it will be extremely important to analyse the effects that the transition from liberal to fascist Italy had in the colonies. A study of the formation of colonial elites, the ways of access to their careers, the socio-cultural backgrounds and the impact that historical events have had on individual officials would allow to reshape our understanding of Italian colonialism.

Principal Supervisor: Dr David Motadel