Aims & Scope

Studies in the history of anarchism have in recent years seen the emergence of new generations of scholars, who have significantly recast the fields of research they cover and the methodological stances they assume. These new researches have shown that the history of anarchism, and of radical movements in general, is very far from being marginal. Indeed, what it offers is a wealth of themes to be explored, and disciplinary approaches to be addressed.
The history of the anarchist movement and of its influence in various guises – ideological, political, social, cultural, in relation to gender, etc. – is in large part still to be investigated. For this reason we believe that the time is ripe to launch dedicated sites with the capacity to engage with the complexity of these materials, pursuing diverse, interconnected lines of enquiry. Ever since the important experiment with the «Rivista Storica dell’Anarchismo» came to an end, in the early years of the twenty-first century, Italy has lacked a forum in which scholars concerned with anarchism are able to present and make more widely available the results of their researches; to engage with other disciplines; to experiment with new, more far-reaching and innovative fields of enquiry; and at the same time to promote an inclusive debate, one that spans the wider scientific community, more specialist audiences and a general readership.
We therefore propose to create a space designed to further the development of the historiographical debate and to enable experimentation with fields such as, among others, transnationalism, gender studies, post-colonial studies, labour history, global history, history of mentalities e history of emotions, in the context of the forging of modernity and by way of comparison with other radical movements.
These are the motives and aims behind our decision to launch «Acronia». The title we have chosen for our review is intended to signal an important new phase in the historical study of anarchism. By the same token, the review itself is designed to serve as a sort of laboratory for historiographical comparisons and original interpretations, coordinated by a lively, efficient editorial team, backed up by a highly qualified international scientific committee.