Legacies of Violence: History, Society, and the State in Sardinia

The inhabitants of highland Sardinia proudly declare a long history of resistance to outside authority. Many even celebrate the belief that “not even the Roman Empire reached this far.” Yet, since the late nineteenth century, the Italian government has pacified and integrated the mountain districts of the island into the state, often through the use of force.

In Legacies of Violence, Antonio Sorge examines local understandings of this past and the effects that a history of violence exercises...