The Translation of Science in the Era of Italian Nation-building

The early nineteenth century saw the beginning of intensive translation activity on the Italian peninsula in order to promote the cultural and scientific process of national unification (Risorgimento). Despite efforts to open up Italian culture to the English and German-speaking world, the French axis remained the central source of scientific and cultural import for Italy in the 19th century. This is evidenced not least by the appearance on the Italian peninsula in the 1820–1830s of scientific journals such as Antologia (1821–1833), conceived purely as translation organs and dedicated to the transfer of science and culture through translations from French journals. Taking Antologia as an emblematic example of this development, this article examines the early translation policy of this journal in its political and cultural context. Specific emphasis is placed on exploring the twists and turns of this translation policy, its influence on the scientific, cultural and political discourse in Italy, and the resulting implications for the process of Italy’s internationalisation and nationalisation.