About this episode

Professor Ali Abdellatif Ahmida discusses the forgotten genocide of the Libyan people under Italian colonialism in 1911.

Unveiling the suppressed history of "Shar," Professor Ali Abdellatif Ahmida details the forgotten genocide of the Libyan people under Italian settler colonialism in 1911. As a distinguished political scientist and historian at the University of New England, Professor Ahmida dedicated 15 years to investigating why this mass tragedy was systematically erased from global scholarship and collective memory. Through meticulous research and rare oral testimonies from survivors, he reconstructs the horrors of forced displacement and concentration camps that claimed the lives of tens of thousands. He offers a nuanced critique of the "collective amnesia" in Western academia and the strategic silence of post-war Italy, challenging myths of "moderate" Italian fascism.

People in this episode

Guest: Ali Abdellatif Ahmida

Topics covered

• genocide
• colonialism
• historical memory
• political science
• Italian fascism

Keywords

• Shar
• Libya
• genocide
• Italian colonialism
• historical amnesia
• political science
• oral testimonies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of New England

Places: Libya, Italy

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