The reception of the Istrian-Dalmatian refugees between history and memory

The thesis investigates the reception of the Istrian-Dalmatian refugees in post-war Italy, with a focus on the planned exodus from Pola in 1947, working both on historical sources and memory. Many accounts by the exiled people—and the wider memory politics around the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus—are confrontational with the political left. The alleged violence by communist railway workers in Bologna against a group of Pola refugees is one of the most frequently told stories. Newspapers and archival sources present a different picture; the thesis aims to investigate these inconsistencies and the reasons behind them.