Una sociabilità laicizzata
Il circondario di Guastalla e l’Oltrepò mantovano dal 1848 alla Belle Époque
abstract
This volume investigates the decline of the clergy influence in the Po Valley countryside between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by retracing its connection with the growth of capitalist mercantilism and farm labour movements in the area. The urbanization of many social practices gradually replaced the religious symbolism and catholic rituals that used to permeate the traditional collective mentality and were believed to grant the protection from rivers and climatic adversities. From popular gatherings to country festivals, the values of a new secular sociability replaced the ties of rural society and the dense network of villages and towns, up to the widespread development of farm labour organizations, a reference for a new balance of municipal powers.