This magazine, entitled “The Defense of Race,” was edited by Telesio Interlandi from 1938 to 1943. Printed fortnightly, with a circulation of nearly 150,000 monthly, it was the primary anti-Semitic tool of the fascist regime.
The topics covered within it offered unfounded reports based on baseless pseudoscientific theories. The purpose of the magazine was to explain the reasons why the “Aryan race,” to which Italians were supposed to belong, was superior to others and must not mix with them.
This can be seen from the quotes and images on the cover of the first issue, released on August 5, 1938. The central image consists of three elements: a Roman statue impersonates the correct physiognomy of the Italian Aryan race, the representations of a Jew and a black man, whose physical deformities are accentuated to highlight their diversity.
Between the two representations is a Roman gladius symbolizing the state’s power in protecting and separating the Aryan race from Jews and blacks.
The quote from Dante at the top also emphasizes the message that the cover is intended to convey, which is that race mixing is a bane to the nation and is a clear example of the political use of literature.
Leafing through the pages of an old propaganda magazine allowed us to identify the absurdities that fascist, racist policy recognized, for example, the superiority of the “Aryan race,” a term with no scientific basis.
To learn more, browse through the journal, look for the tab IL RAZZISMO ITALIANO and frame it.
The Defense of Race Year I no. 1 insight
