A negative icon of the propaganda of Fascist racism, La Difesa della razza first appeared in August 1938 shortly before the passing of Italy's Racial Laws, but had a long gestation. It was the expression of a Fascist cultural milieu - journalists, writers, artists, and architects - headed by Interlandi, whose racism and antisemitism dated back to the end of the First World War.

By placing the magazine's emergence in this longer timescale, and exploring the interrelationships of political action, ideological discourse, and imagery, this book also demonstrates how the project of 'anthropological revolution' - building the New Man - was a central element of Italian Fascism, from the very beginning to the deportation of Italian Jews.

This new English edition has been thoroughly revised and updated.