“Between Europe and the Mediterranean.”

On the Historiography of Agriculture in Italy since the 1960s

Abstract

The field of agricultural history, ranging from the medieval to the modern period, has constituted a productive and multifaceted area of Italian research over the past few decades. Since language barriers have limited the international exposure of this research, the following contribution is to be understood as an effort to translate and transfer agriculture-historical approaches, themes and results. A look into the past and into the future with Carlo Poni and Pasquale Villani, a review of the agricultural conditions peculiar to Italy, and the works of pioneers such as Emilio Sereni and Vito Fumagalli serve to shed light on the field’s origins, achievements and areas that still need further attention. Important branches of research and forums for publication are likewise dealt with. Reflections on the desire for an integrated historiography of agriculture – a theme which recurs throughout as a sort of “Leitmotiv” – form the conclusion.