Pubblica sicurezza e ordine sociale. Il ruolo degli italiani in Eritrea negli anni dell’amministrazione britannica (1941-1952)

Abstract

Italy attended very late in the colonial race at the end of the 19th century. First he bought the Bay of Assab, then he obtained the port of Massawa, at last founding Eritrea in 1890. Thus, Eritrea was born in a completely improvised way, as well as its name. The same could be said for its collective identity which was inspired by the many references to its more or less recent past, but only matured in the aftermath of the Second World War. Much of the raw material of his still-to-beinvented tradition was stratified over the course of two moments: the proclamation and construction of Italian East Africa, the decade of the British occupation. In this essay the emphasis is placed on the second phase, up to the conclusion of the London administration, with particular attention to the mood of public opinion in the Italian community and to the problems of order and public safety.