As part of a series held on patriarchal violence, Dr. Parmigiani from the Harvard Divinity School presented on the topic of femicide in Italy.

This past Monday, January 28, the Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life (IRCPL) held an event in the Calder Lounge titled Victims, Martyrs, Witnesses: Representing Violence against Women in Contemporary Italy. I had forgotten how much the Calder Lounge—located conveniently in the backrooms of Uris—resembled the very picture of boredom. But the presentation by Dr. Giovanna Parmigiani and  open discussion moderated by Professor of English and Comparative Literature Eleanor Johnson brought the room to life as we explored the world of the Italian feminist movement beyond Calder Lounge’s mud-toned walls. 

The presentation focused on Dr. Parmigiani’s ethnographic fieldwork in Italy researching UDI (Unione delle Donne), the oldest Italian feminist group, and their efforts to reform the rhetoric of the women’s rights movement by granting agency to women: in essence, by replacing the usage of “victim” with “witness.” 

Dr. Parmigiani first spoke on femicide, which she defined as “the killing of women, by men, for the fact of being women.” In Italy, there were as many as 150 women killed every day by someone in their family or their partner. 85% of these cases were further categorized as femicides. In 2012, the word “femminiciodo” (femicide) entered the vocabulary of the Italian mainstream. The UDI made it their goal to legitimize the usage of this word, specifically because it portrayed femicide as a unique and institutionalized problem within Italy. But the publicization of the word had unintended consequences: while national attention brought legislative change to protect women’s rights, a narrative of victimhood began to bleed into the women’s rights movement. 

Amongst the many examples of the rhetoric of the feminist movement that Dr. Parmigiani offered throughout her presentation, one was especially striking: that of “La Pupazza” (the puppet). As La Pupazza was set up for public demonstrations, her story began to focus on the issue of abortion: in her fight for the right to an abortion, La Pupazza was meant to detail the lack of women’s rights surrounding the issue. Connecting the routine demonstrations held by Italian feminist movement members to the Catholic tradition of “Via Crucis” (the way of the cross), the feminist movement challenged traditional notions of the role of women in a predominantly Catholic society. Dr. Parmigiani mentioned the importance of La Pupazza’s role as a victim in the narrative presented by certain feminist movement members. Like a Christ figure, La Pupazza harkened to a sacrifice for humanity as her story revolved around her attempt to get an abortion. 

From discussion about the role of women in Catholicism, Dr. Parmigiani transitioned into a conversation about martyrdom. Martyrdom had historically been co-opted by the Catholic Church to refer to people who gave their lives up to protect their faith. Further examination of manifestations of martyrs as women, such as Mary, mother of Jesus, revealed a more nuanced delineation between self-blame and self-responsibility. Dr. Parmigiani proposed that the latter was a mindset of survivorship, aligning with the rhetoric of UDI, whereas the former was that of victimhood. 

After her presentation, Dr. Parmigiani sat down with Professor Johnson and opened the floor to audience questions. Conversation expanded to encompass the idea that victimhood is not entirely bad to use in feminist rhetoric: it can be dramatic and accessible to the public. That idea, however, was challenged by a question about the reflexive aestheticism of the feminist movement. Does using language such as “victim” feed into an aesthetic of helpless women dependent on male authority to save them? While it was difficult to reach a conclusion on the subject, Dr. Parmigiani ended the conversation with an emphasis on the value of skepticism in the feminist movement.

There is no shortage of rabbit holes that branch from Dr. Parmigiani’s valuable fieldwork and analysis on femicide and its implications for UDI and the larger Italian feminist movement. Whatever the takeaway was for each audience member, the presentation brought to light a crucial question of intentionality in the rhetoric of feminism. 

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