Vico, Hegel, and the Making of Modern Italy: The Spirit of the Risorgimento, 1799-1861

Embracing a transnational approach to 19th-century Italian intellectual history, this book examines the encounter and amalgamation of local and foreign philosophical traditions, chiefly represented by the thought of Giambattista Vico and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, showcasing their contribution to shaping a historical mindset that guided and legitimised Italians’ experiences of political change.

Taking a revisionist stance, the author challenges the prevailing view that Italian thinkers passively adopted foreign ideas. Instead, they engaged critically with them, questioning their conceptual foundations and applicability to Italy’s political landscape. Vico, Hegel and the Making of Modern Italy reveals that Italian intellectuals sought cultural and political renewal, at both local and European levels, not through assimilation but through steadfast allegiance to a local strand of political thought inspired by Vico’s humanist historicism.

The book ultimately explores how philosophical thought empowered Italian intellectuals to navigate the uncertainties, drama, and energy of the Risorgimento, underscoring the enduring significance of philosophical knowledge in shaping Italy’s political trajectory.

Alessandro De Arcangelis is Lecturer in Intellectual History at University College London, UK. His research looks at the intellectual history of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, with particular focus on transnational encounters and cross-cultural exchanges.