GIAMPAOLO CALCHI NOVATI

I popoli "altri" nel pensiero e nell'opera di Carlo Cattaneo

N. 199

Summary - The vast output of Carlo Cattaneo contains no works specifically on the theme of colonialism. Nevertheless, this author, who is often represented as the historian of the triumphant bourgeoisie, frequently makes observations on the relationship between Europe, at the hight of its splendour and of its capacity for expansion beyond the continent, and the peoples and civilizations of the non-European world. His essays on India and China are particularly illuminating in this respect. Cattaneo’s analyses contain an original mixture of historical reconstruction, cultural comparison and armchair anthropology. One is continuously aware of his perception of the need to reconcile the process of universalization emanating from Europe with the specific practices and values found in other nations and other forms of state. Racialist perspectives ate completely alien to Cattaneo' s work, and this guarantees an attitude of respect, though without ruling out a realistic recognition of the superiority behind Europe’s position of dominance. Moreover, Cattaneo was not in a position to take into account "real" colonialism: having died in 1869 - the year of the opening of the Suez Canal and the purchase of the Assab Bay on the part of an Italian company — he was not able directly to witness the emerging experience of Italian colonialism. In this sense, the more direct point of reference for Cattaneo' s work is British colonialism.