Debating Divorce in Italy: Marriage and the Making of Modern Italians, 1860-1974

The popular referendum of 1974 which affirmed Italy’s recently-won divorce law is widely regarded as a turning point in modern Italian history, but the long story behind that struggle has remained largely unfamiliar. Using the debates over divorce as a lens, this book is a study of the quest to modernize Italy, Italians, and Italian marriage.

MARK SEYMOUR was born in London and moved to Sydney as a teenager. His education continued in the USA and Italy. He teaches Italian and European history at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.