Società Dante Alighieri
The Società Dante Alighieri (Dante Alighieri Society) is an Italian language company based in Rome . It was founded in 1889 on the initiative of a group of intellectuals led by the writer Giosuè Carducci . The essential task is according to Article 1 of the statute aims to maintain and spread the Italian language and culture in the world, to rekindle the spiritual ties between compatriots abroad and their motherland and to promote the love of foreigners for Italian culture and civilization . The association still supports more than 500 committees, of which more than 400 operate abroad (Africa, America, Europe, Asia and Oceania). Today there are "Dante" offices around the world , which not only hold Italian courses, but also various kinds of cultural events. The Sede Centrale in the Palazzo Firenze in Rome is the reference point for the committees of Italy and abroad . The company has been headed by the historian and founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio , Andrea Riccardi , since March 2015 .
development
The society was named after Dante Alighieri , because in his name the linguistic unity of the nation was completed and on this basis the political, i.e. state, unification was accomplished six centuries later. At the beginning, at the suggestion of the first President, Ruggiero Bonghi (1889–1895), the activities focused on the establishment of Italian courses for emigrants who were looking for work abroad. The first committees abroad were formed in countries in which an Italian colony already existed: in Switzerland (Geneva 1894; Zurich 1895), in Belgium (Liège 1894) and in France ( Marseille 1895).
The first foreign committee of the "Dante" ever was founded in Saloniki in 1890 and one in Smyrna the following year, followed by that in Istanbul in 1895. Outside Europe, committees were established in some cities in North America (New York 1897; Boston 1901) and especially in South America (Buenos Aires 1896; Montevideo 1896; Iquique 1896; Rosario 1897; Caracas 1898; São Paulo 1899). The committee furthest from the motherland is that of Melbourne 1896. Over the years, the "Dante" established itself at the legal and administrative level, thanks to the fourth President, Paolo Boselli (1906–1932); he set up the first courses for the training of Italian teachers abroad.
During the time of fascism , society was misused by the regime for political and propaganda purposes. In many countries the cultural activities of society were placed under fascist administration by the government, both in local and foreign cultural institutes. In 1938, according to an agreement made between the Minister of Foreign Trade and the headquarters of the “Dante Alighieri”, the Italian cultural institutes and the “Dante” Comitati were to be dissolved. This led to a decrease in the number of active committees, even if in some cases they were not formally dissolved, but placed under the control of a " trustee ". However, the committees actually lost their independence and the ability to act.
In the post-war period, the committees were reorganized abroad, except in the USA , where, in contrast to other countries, many committees disappeared because the "Dante" was initially still in a directory of subversive companies according to Executive Order 10450, issued by the public prosecutor in the Years 1935–1940, was listed. This distrust was not overcome until 1961 thanks to the efforts of the Boston Committee Honorary President Edward Kennedy , who at the time was US Attorney General.
