The endless pursuit of truth: subalternity and marginalization in post-neorealist Italian film

The dissertation analyses the political dimension of post-neorealist Italian film, concentrating on the representation of the subaltern by directors such as Antonio Pietrangeli, Alberto Grifi and Massimo Sarchielli, Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi. After a critical assessment of the debate on Neorealism, the dissertation applies Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's concept of minor literature to practices of subversion at play in Italian film, attempting a renegotiation of Italy's cinematic canon. Other analyzed themes include the potential of the cinematic medium to provide agency to marginalized social groups and the role of intellectuals in Italy's anomalous political landscape