Michele Pajero (LSE) - 2021-22 Students
m.pajero@lse.ac.uk

Fascist Rule and Oppression in North Africa: A Comparative Study of the Italian and French Empires at War, 1940-43

This project investigates the Imperial New Orders of Vichy France and Fascist Italy in North Africa to explore the convergence of fascism and war in the colonial setting. In particular, I will conduct an assessment of the nature and significance of rule and oppression against the colonized in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya between 1940 and 1943. I will concentrate on the treatment of Arabs, although Jews and third-country subjects will also be considered. Methodologically speaking, I will adopt a comparative and trans-imperial approach to explore a global set of archival sources (France, Italy, UK, USA, Tunisia, Libya). Theoretically speaking, I intend to tackle the debate on the relationship between fascism and colonialism (Arendt, Césaire) by testing it in a case study through historical evidence.

Primary supervisor: Dr David Motadel, LSE
Secondary supervisor: Prof. Richard Vinen, KCL