7/ Un-American: A History of Americanism in Words
di Giovanni Battista BRONZINI e Federico PIERSIGILLI
Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea, N. 66, 2|2026
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| ABSTRACT | TESTO INTEGRALE | GLI AUTORI | REFERENZE | LICENZE |
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“Unamerican Dream” by Carlos Varela on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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Italiano
Il termine un-American ha costituito uno strumento retorico centrale nel discorso politico e culturale statunitense, impiegato per definire i confini del comportamento, del pensiero e dell’identità ritenuti accettabili. Il saggio ne ricostruisce l’evoluzione storica e linguistica, analizzando in che modo esso abbia contribuito a rafforzare la conformità ideologica all’interno della cornice sociopolitica dell’“americanità”. Adottando un approccio interdisciplinare che combina ricerca d’archivio e metodologie linguistiche, lo studio mostra come un-American emerga fin dall’Ottocento come un termine costruito sul confronto internazionale ma radicato in una critica interna, utilizzato per stigmatizzare il dissenso e imporre un’ortodossia ideologica. Dalle prime occorrenze nel XIX secolo alla sua ascesa durante il maccartismo e oltre, un-American ha funzionato tanto come meccanismo di esclusione quanto come dispositivo per affermare un’identità nazionale. Attraverso una serie di casi di studio che vanno dall’Ottocento alla Guerra fredda, l’articolo mette a fuoco le premesse ideologiche e le strategie retoriche associate al termine, illustrandone il ruolo nel plasmare le alleanze politiche e nel contestare i confini dell’appartenenza nazionale. Sul piano linguistico, l’analisi evidenzia le proprietà morfologiche e semantiche di un-American, mostrando come la sua struttura sostenga il messaggio politico e ne potenzi l’efficacia retorica nel discorso pubblico. Esaminando l’intersezione tra linguaggio, identità e politica, questo contributo offre nuovi elementi per comprendere il significato storico e l’influenza durevole di un-American, inserendosi nei più ampi dibattiti sulla storia degli Stati Uniti e sulle forme dell’americanismo e dell’antiamericanismo.
Parole chiave: americanismo, analisi linguistica, antiamericanismo, Storia degli Stati Uniti, un-American.
English
The term “un-American” has been a rhetorical tool in U.S. political and cultural discourse, used to define the boundaries of acceptable behavior, thought, and identity. This paper examines its historical and linguistic evolution, analyzing how it has enforced ideological conformity within the sociopolitical framework of “American-ness”. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that combines archival research and linguistic methodologies, the study examines how “un-American” emerged as a term built on international comparison but rooted in internal critique, employed to stigmatize dissent and enforce ideological orthodoxy. From its early nineteenth century usage to its weaponization during McCarthyism and beyond, “un-American” has served as both an exclusionary mechanism and a tool for asserting national identity. Through case studies spanning from 19th century to the Cold War, the paper unpacks the term’s ideological underpinnings and rhetorical strategies, illustrating its role in shaping allegiances and contesting national belonging. On linguistic grounds, the analysis highlights the morphological and semantic properties of un-American, demonstrating how its structure supports political messaging and rhetorical impact in public discourse. By examining the intersection of language, identity, and politics, this research offers insights into the historical significance and enduring influence of un-American, contributing to broader debates on U.S. history.
Keywords: Americanism, anti-Americanism, linguistic analysis, U.S. History, un-American.
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Giovanni Battista Bronzini holds a PhD researcher in Diplomacy and International Cooperation from the University for Foreigners of Perugia and he is a former Fulbright Visiting Researcher at George Mason University. He serves as a teaching assistant in History of International Relations at the University for Foreigners of Perugia and at LUISS Guido Carli. His research focuses on transatlantic intellectual exchanges, U.S. foreign policy, and twentieth-century Italian political thought, with particular attention to the circulation of political ideas between Italy and the United States. ORCID: 0009-0006-3294-6433.
Federico Piersigilli holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University for Foreigners of Perugia, where he is currently a teaching assistant. His research focuses on theoretical linguistics and morphosyntactic variation in Romance languages, especially auxiliary selection, participial agreement, and se constructions. He has also worked on the acquisition of Italian as a first and second language and has been a member of the PRIN 2022 project Promoting Multilingual Competence in Different Contexts. ORCID: 0009-0009-7477-4096.
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BRONZINI, Giovanni Battista, PIERSIGILLI, Federico, «Un-American: A History of Americanism in Words», Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea, N. 66, 2|2026
URL: <http://www.studistorici.com/2026/06/29/bronzini-piersigilli_numero_66/>
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«Un-American: A History of Americanism in Words» by Giovanni Battista Bronzini, Federico Piersigilli / Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuzione – Condividi allo stesso modo 4.0 Unported.
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