Vanda Wilcox
I am currently writing a book on the Italian Empire during the First World War, exploring imperialist war aims, colonial conflict and ideas about the 'greater Italy' in the decade of the Great War. Starting with the Italo-Turkish war of 1911-12, I analyse the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in Libya in relation to the events of the world war. Equally important were the military operations undertaken by the Italian expeditionary forces in the Balkans, Turkey, Syria and Palestine and Siberia, signs of Italian ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond. The book also examines the contribution of Italians overseas to the war effort; as well as the role of colonial soldiers and the debate over their deployment during the war.
After completing my doctorate on "Morale and discipline in the Italian Army, 1915-18" I have carried out research on topics including memory and commemoration, leadership and mass surrender, and cultural mobilization through civilian patriotic associations.
I am interested in the ways in which army culture and practices help to shape morale and combat motivation as well as exploring new paradigms for the analysis and interpretation of morale. I have published on generals' decision-making during the battle of Caporetto in 1917 and also on the ways in which this battle was remembered and mythologised during the 1920s.
My current research includes explorations of the concept of duty among Italian soldiers, as well as the experience of Italian troops during the Libyan war (1911-12).
I am also interested in contemporary Italian football culture and the ultras movement, a subject where I have published several non-academic articles and hope to develop a future academic research project relating to questions of national and local identity.
I teach modern and contemporary European history at John Cabot University in Rome, where I began work in 2008, and also at the Rome campus of Trinity College, Hartford (CT).
After completing my doctorate on "Morale and discipline in the Italian Army, 1915-18" I have carried out research on topics including memory and commemoration, leadership and mass surrender, and cultural mobilization through civilian patriotic associations.
I am interested in the ways in which army culture and practices help to shape morale and combat motivation as well as exploring new paradigms for the analysis and interpretation of morale. I have published on generals' decision-making during the battle of Caporetto in 1917 and also on the ways in which this battle was remembered and mythologised during the 1920s.
My current research includes explorations of the concept of duty among Italian soldiers, as well as the experience of Italian troops during the Libyan war (1911-12).
I am also interested in contemporary Italian football culture and the ultras movement, a subject where I have published several non-academic articles and hope to develop a future academic research project relating to questions of national and local identity.
I teach modern and contemporary European history at John Cabot University in Rome, where I began work in 2008, and also at the Rome campus of Trinity College, Hartford (CT).
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Books by Vanda Wilcox
In pursuit of global status, Italy fought a global war, sending troops to the Balkans, Russia, and the Middle East, though with limited results. Italy's newest colony, Libya, was also a theatre of the war effort, as the anti-colonial resistance there linked up with the Ottoman Empire, Germany, and Austria to undermine Italian rule. Italian race theories underpinned this expansionism: the book examines how Italian constructions of whiteness and racial superiority informed a colonial approach to military occupation in Europe as well as the conduct of its campaigns in Africa. After the war, Italy's failures at the Peace Conference meant that the 'mutilated victory' was an imperial as well as a national sentiment. Events in Paris are analysed alongside the military occupations in the Balkans and Asia Minor as well as efforts to resolve the conflicts in Libya, to assess the rhetoric and reality of Italian imperialism.
Contributors are Giulia Albanese, Claudia Baldoli, Allison Scardino Belzer, Francesco Caccamo, Filippo Cappellano, Selena Daly, Fabio Degli Esposti, Spencer Di Scala, Douglas J. Forsyth, Irene Guerrini, Oliver Janz, Irene Lottini, Stefano Marcuzzi, Valerie McGuire, Marco Pluviano,
Paul O’Brien, Carlo Stiaccini, Andrea Ungari, and Bruce Vandervort.
Introduction; Jonathan Krause
1. The Battle of the Ardennes, August 1914: France's Lost Opportunity; Simon House
2. 'Only Inaction is Disgraceful': French Operations under Joffre, 1914-1916; Jonathan Krause
3. The Influence of Industry on the Use and Development of Artillery; Alex Bostrom
4. Missed Opportunity? - The French tanks in the Nivelle Offensive; Tim Gale
5. Applying Colonial Lessons to European War: The British Expeditionary Force 1902 – 1914; Spencer Jones
6. Jan Smuts, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in German East Africa; Stuart Mitchell
7. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force and the Battles for Jerusalem: Command and Tactics in the Judaean Hills, November 1917 – January 1918; Christopher Newton
8. A Picture of German Unity? Federal Contingents in the German Army, 1916 – 1917; Tony Cowan
9. Out of the Trenches: Hitler, Wagner, and German national regeneration after the Great War 1914-1918; David Hall
10. Training, morale and battlefield performance in the Italian army, 1914-1917; Vanda Wilcox
11. Seasoning the US 2nd Infantry Division; Bryon Smith
12. From the Essex to the Dresden: British Grand Strategy in the South Pacific, 1814 – 1915; Andrew Lambert
13. Attrition: How the War was Fought and Won; William Philpott
Peer Reviewed Articles by Vanda Wilcox
As an open access, online publication, the encyclopedia aims to make scholarship freely available to a wider public.
Book Chapters by Vanda Wilcox
Talks by Vanda Wilcox
In pursuit of global status, Italy fought a global war, sending troops to the Balkans, Russia, and the Middle East, though with limited results. Italy's newest colony, Libya, was also a theatre of the war effort, as the anti-colonial resistance there linked up with the Ottoman Empire, Germany, and Austria to undermine Italian rule. Italian race theories underpinned this expansionism: the book examines how Italian constructions of whiteness and racial superiority informed a colonial approach to military occupation in Europe as well as the conduct of its campaigns in Africa. After the war, Italy's failures at the Peace Conference meant that the 'mutilated victory' was an imperial as well as a national sentiment. Events in Paris are analysed alongside the military occupations in the Balkans and Asia Minor as well as efforts to resolve the conflicts in Libya, to assess the rhetoric and reality of Italian imperialism.
Contributors are Giulia Albanese, Claudia Baldoli, Allison Scardino Belzer, Francesco Caccamo, Filippo Cappellano, Selena Daly, Fabio Degli Esposti, Spencer Di Scala, Douglas J. Forsyth, Irene Guerrini, Oliver Janz, Irene Lottini, Stefano Marcuzzi, Valerie McGuire, Marco Pluviano,
Paul O’Brien, Carlo Stiaccini, Andrea Ungari, and Bruce Vandervort.
Introduction; Jonathan Krause
1. The Battle of the Ardennes, August 1914: France's Lost Opportunity; Simon House
2. 'Only Inaction is Disgraceful': French Operations under Joffre, 1914-1916; Jonathan Krause
3. The Influence of Industry on the Use and Development of Artillery; Alex Bostrom
4. Missed Opportunity? - The French tanks in the Nivelle Offensive; Tim Gale
5. Applying Colonial Lessons to European War: The British Expeditionary Force 1902 – 1914; Spencer Jones
6. Jan Smuts, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in German East Africa; Stuart Mitchell
7. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force and the Battles for Jerusalem: Command and Tactics in the Judaean Hills, November 1917 – January 1918; Christopher Newton
8. A Picture of German Unity? Federal Contingents in the German Army, 1916 – 1917; Tony Cowan
9. Out of the Trenches: Hitler, Wagner, and German national regeneration after the Great War 1914-1918; David Hall
10. Training, morale and battlefield performance in the Italian army, 1914-1917; Vanda Wilcox
11. Seasoning the US 2nd Infantry Division; Bryon Smith
12. From the Essex to the Dresden: British Grand Strategy in the South Pacific, 1814 – 1915; Andrew Lambert
13. Attrition: How the War was Fought and Won; William Philpott
As an open access, online publication, the encyclopedia aims to make scholarship freely available to a wider public.