Excavating Fascist Politics: Ancient Rome, Mussolini, and Gender-Binary Weaponization 

Bell, Olivia. Excavating Fascist Politics: Ancient Rome, Mussolini, and Gender Binary Weaponization. Whitman College. 8 May 2023. 

This thesis will unpack the layered histories of fascist politics, by highlighting key formulas of social control – as developed by Augustan-era Rome and intentionally reenacted by Mussolini for "modern renovation." Such formulas were concerned with capitalizing on a discourse of nostalgia that projected an imagined, "ideal" past while promising an all-encompassing "purification," which "necessitated" a militant "cleansing" of "enemies" at home and abroad. Oftentimes, particular gender identities were labeled as "enemies." In both cases, the fascist formula sought to violently enforce a constructed gender binary to "restore" a false definition of "health" of the state as "guaranteed" by the toxic-masculinities performed by Augustus and reconceptualized by Mussolini. In revealing how fascist politics interoperate and become grounds for "revival," I hope that this thesis will divulge the tactics employed by fascist ideologies, their false and harmful allures, and redirect power and humanity to voices of those marginalized by such systems.

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