Abstract
This chapter shows how the book studies the Wu Ming collective to explore political and cultural forms of intervention that imagine, envision and put into practice an alternative to neoliberalism. It contextualises this exploration in current definitions of neoliberalism, demonstrating how the naturalisation of neoliberal ideology has increasingly shaped the socio-cultural domain and led to the belief that there is no alternative to it. The chapter then provides an in-depth analysis of the first twenty years (2000–2019) of Wu Ming’s activism, organising it in three territories: streets, literary paths and transmedia networks. Within each territory, Wu Ming’s interventions are analysed in terms of material, linguistic and discursive practices. The investigation of Wu Ming’s activism in the street territory focuses on material and embodied forms of engagement such as participation in street demonstrations, performances, urban rituals and hiking trips. The discussion of their engagement in literary paths primarily concerns linguistic practices and especially Wu Ming’s collective writing practices and style. Finally, the analysis of Wu Ming’s interventions across transmedia networks explores how they challenge power relations in the content industry by fostering the circulation of content under copy-left licences and encouraging their fans’ participation in this challenge across a wide network of online and offline media. Finally, the chapter summarises the content of the book.
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Notes
- 1.
In this passage and the rest of the paragraph I operate a personal reconstruction of Thatcher’s speech in narrative form. The sources of this reconstruction are the speech transcriptions available on the Margaret Thatcher Foundation website (https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/107300) and her 1985 interview about UK miners’ strike hosted by the TV Eye television program. For an in-depth discussion of the politician’s agenda see Berlinski (2010) and (2011).
- 2.
For a detailed historical account of the implementation of neoliberal economic policies in the UK and a comparison with the situation in the US see Harvey (2005).
- 3.
In Mandarin Chinese, Wu Ming may mean nameless, anonymous or five names according to how one pronounces it. I will investigate in more detail the collective’s reasons for choosing this pseudonym in subsection 1.4.1.
- 4.
Luther Blissett was the name of a Jamaican footballer who played for the Italian team AC Milan between 1983 and 1984. The reason for its selection as a pseudonym for the project remain unclear.
- 5.
In Japanese culture, seppuku is an honourable practice of taking one’s own life. It was popular among the men of the military class (the samurai) in feudal Japan. Seppuku differs from harakiri—the more common term for suicide—because it represents a ritual performed to redeem oneself in case of failure (see Rankin 2011).
- 6.
An example of how the collective uses this expression is this: “We like to be on the Internet and keep our asses on the street, seamlessly between one thing and the other. And we like to write, to tell stories. This is our essential condition. If we did not write stories, we would have no reason to be on the road” [Ci piace stare su Internet e tenere il culo in strada, senza soluzione di continuità tra una cosa e l’altra. E ci piace scrivere, raccontare. Che è la condicio sine qua non. Se non scrivessimo storie, non avremmo ragione di stare on the road] (Wu Ming 1 2011a).
- 7.
“Primo pomeriggio: la piazza si riempie. Ci sono i partigiani e quelli del sindacato, la Sinistra Giovanile e le tute bianche, con caschi integrali e camere d’aria a mo’ di scudo, e purtroppo anche mentecatti a petto in fuori, fazzoletto sulla faccia, manico da piccone in pugno. A che servirà mai portarsi in piazza il cosiddetto stalin, quando poi non lo sai nemmeno usare ed è la prima cosa che molli per scappare a gambe levate coi celerini dietro? E poi, trent’anni fa i celerini avevano la cravatta, uniformi di tessuto pesante, scarpe basse, caschi senza paranuca … I lacrimogeni erano barattoli che si potevano prendere in mano e rilanciare al mittente. Oggi ci sono i robocops: paranuca, parastinchi, paragomiti, parapraticamentetutto, e i lacrimogeni sono veri e propri missili che chissà cosa contengono. A che cazzo serve un misero bastone, se non per allestire una patetica auto-rappresentazione, fingersi uomini veri, giocare la simulazione dei duri e puri? Poveretti. Le tute bianche hanno tutt’altra strategia: imbottiture con la gommapiuma o protezioni da sport a contatto pieno, scudi di plastica chiusi a testuggine, davanti una muraglia di camere d’aria gonfiate e rivestite di poliuretano. Si fronteggia la polizia e si avanza, niente strumenti offensivi, solo una nuova e più sicura disobbedienza civile, con tutte le precauzioni del caso, senza alcun desiderio di martirio.”
- 8.
“Il riferimento alle tute bianche è dovuto al fatto che mentre stavamo scrivendo Asce di guerra in Italia è scoppiato il movimento … Addirittura un capitolo l’abbiamo scritto mentre eravamo nella testuggine delle tute bianche, tutti imbottiti, con gli scudi e i caschi. C’è stato un convegno dell’OCSE a Bologna, c’è stata una mobilitazione di massa di contestazione a questo convegno, e la mattina del 14 giugno del 2000, ci siamo ritrovati con addosso la tuta bianca e tutto il resto, a fronteggiare uno schieramento antisommossa. C’è stata una pausa di un’ora, un tentativo di negoziato, la polizia ci diceva di retrocedere, noi dicevamo che volevamo avanzare. Siccome c’era un caldo pazzesco, ci siamo tolti le bardature, ci siamo seduti sui nostri caschi e abbiamo scritto il capitolo. Dopo c’è stata una carica, durante la quale naturalmente non siamo rimasti a scrivere, però abbiamo finito il capitolo la sera, quindi in tempo reale.”
- 9.
The full text of the Carta di Milano is available (in Italian) at the following link: http://www.ecn.org/leoncavallo/26set98/.
- 10.
I am referring to the following Giap issues: Wu Ming (2000a, 2000b, 2000e, 2000g, 2001b, 2001c, 2001d). Wu Ming named the newsletter after the Vietnamese general Vô Nguyen Giap (1911–2013), who successfully led the Viet Minh resistance against colonialist occupants in the 1940s and ‘50 s and later in the Vietnam War (1955–1975). The general was well-known for his ability to adapt his approach to combat—guerrilla warfare or open-field battle—to the goals and settings of each battle. The figure is inspiring for Wu Ming as they strive to replicate the same changeable and multiple approaches in their cultural interventions. For an account of the influence of this historical figure on the collective, see Wu Ming (2000h).
- 11.
The end of Wu Ming’s involvement in the tute project did not entail the end of their participation in demonstrations and marches. For instance, Wu Ming members strongly supported and promoted the need to march against all wars in the massively attended demonstration of 15 February 2003. Their later engagements in marches and demonstrations were also discussed and analysed on Giap, but these forms of intervention were no longer framed into a specific practice or movement such as the tute.
- 12.
“Ho provato a reimpostare il mio linguaggio del corpo (nelle scene ho un passamontagna sul volto) in modo da essere credibile nel ruolo di un giovane di venticinque anni fa. I corpi sono cambiati, da allora. L’alimentazione, materiale e spirituale, è differente. Non solo la foggia dei vestiti o la lunghezza dei capelli … ma anche la materia che andava a costruire ossa e carne e il cibo che nutriva la mente e muoveva il corpo.”
- 13.
“Sul set ci sono stato acquattato nelle retrovie, in mezzo alle comparse, a sentire l’umore della truppa e sbirciare dentro quel quadratino di monitor che dovrebbe far capire al regista che cazzo sta girando. Vestito anch’io in abbigliamento Seventies da esproprio, pronto a svaligiare un’armeria o innescare bocce da tirare a carabinieri amici dei manifestanti. Le comparse … fanno domande, si annoiano, soprattutto aspettano … Il cinema visto da dentro è fatto di attese di ore per riprese di pochi secondi, da ripetere tante volte. Perché a un certo punto si gira davvero. È divertente, ci si stanca, si sbaglia, non sai bene cosa viene ripreso ma sai cosa devi fare. Pochi secondi ripetuti decine di volte, passano così le giornate del cinema … E i due formidabili armieri romani, responsabili degli effetti speciali? Mi hanno insegnato a caricare un’arma automatica (per esigenze di scena, sia chiaro).”
- 14.
- 15.
“Grandi Opere Dannose Inutili e Imposte.”
- 16.
The group has its own website. See https://resistenzeincirenaica.com/.
- 17.
For the writing of Q, they individually concluded their historical research before composing it, whereas for later novels, the research and the writing were two parallel processes (Smargiassi 2009). Wu Ming 5 took part in the writing of 54 (2002b) as an external consultant, especially for aspects related to Bolognese culture, while Manituana (2007) was the first novel written by the entire collective (Wu Ming 2006b).
- 18.
“Bisogna saper leggere il conflitto. Il più delle volte, la divergenza di vedute non è causata da opposti estremismi, ma, al contrario, da una mancanza di radicalità: non siamo d’accordo perché non abbiamo osato abbastanza. Se avessimo osato, sicuramente avremmo trovato una soluzione che convince tutto il gruppo … Il conflitto è un sintomo, e col sintomo bisogna saperci fare.”
- 19.
My use of the term subjectivity draws on Félix Guattari’s definition and later elaborations by Maurizio Lazzarato. Guattari defines subjectivity as the ensemble of conditions for subjects to emerge, desire, act and affect oneself and others (Guattari 1995, 9). I will further explore and discuss the meaning of this notion in Chaps. 2 and 3.
- 20.
After Asce di guerra, the members of the group collaborated with external authors in several collective writing projects, some of which I have already mentioned—Ti chiamerò Russell (2002), La ballata del Corazza (2005), Il sorriso del presidente (2004)—and to which one must add La Potenza di Eymerich [Eymerich’s Power] (2004), La prima volta che ho visto i fascisti [The First Time I Saw the Fascists] (2005), Tifiamo asteroide [Go Asteroid Go] (2013), Tifiamo Scaramouche [Go Scaramouche Go] (2014).
- 21.
The writing lab projects published collections like GODIImenti [Stories Against Huge Useless Damaging Imposed Works] (2014a) and, in collaboration with the association Eks&Tra, Intrecci [Weavings] (2012b), Un passo dopo [One Step Later] (2014b), Mari & Muri [Seas & Walls] (2015) and Dall’altra parte del mare [On the Other Side of the Sea] (2018). The writing labs also fostered the creation of writing collectives such as Joana Karda, MetalMente, which wrote the collection Meccanoscritto [Mechanitext] (2017) with Ivan Brentari and Wu Ming 2, and Moira Dal Sito, which wrote the novel Quando sarà tornato il mare: Storia del clima che ci attende [When the Sea Will Be Back: A Story of the Climate of the Future] (2020) with Wu Ming 1.
- 22.
“Essere presenti, ma non apparire: trasparenza di fronte ai lettori, opacità verso i media.”
- 23.
Given the problematic genre classification of Wu Ming’s works, their oeuvre can be divided into three categories depending on their authorship: one including works signed by the entire Wu Ming collective; one for those authored by Wu Ming members individually; and one for books produced through a collaboration between the collective, or some of its members, and authors external to it. Asce di guerra (2000), the first book published by the collective and written in collaboration with Vitaliano Ravagli, is a mix of fiction, historiographic essay and autobiography which represents the first experiment of the UNO formula on which Wu Ming will focus more intensively only after 2014.
Between 2002 and 2014, Wu Ming authored several historical novels: 54 (2002b), set in 1954, Manituana (2007c), about the American War of Independence, Altai (2009a), built around the clash of the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire in the battle of Lepanto (1571), and L’armata dei sonnambuli [The Army of Sleepwalkers] (2014b), which is set in eighteenth century France in the Termidoro phase of the Revolution (1793–1795). The group also wrote several short stories, some of which were published in 2011 in the collection Anatra all’arancia meccanica [Clockwork Orange Duck] and L’invisibile ovunque [Invisible Everywhere] (2015b) UNO, which gathers four stories written individually by each member and set during the years of WWI. The short novel Previsioni del tempo [Weather Forecasts] (2008c) is about environmental issues, while Grand River (2008b) reports the impressions of a trip that Wu Ming 3 and 5 took to North America in 2007. Wu Ming also wrote two books thought and designed for children: Cantalamappa (2015a) and Il ritorno dei Cantalamappa [The Return of Cantalamappa] (2016). More recently, in Proletkult (2018b), the collective created a hybrid of historical and science fiction narratives, setting an encounter between humans and aliens in the years that followed the Russian Revolution.
The works authored individually by the members of the collective reflect the variety of their interests and the fields where each of them feels the need to commit the most. Wu Ming 5 signed the first “uscita modulare” (Wu Ming 2001a) of the collective in 2001, with the visionary tale of Havana Glam (2001). Then, before leaving the group, he also published the dystopian Free Karma Food (2006), while the signature of Ms Kalashnikov (2015) as Wu Ming 5 was contested by the rest of the collective. After New Thing, Wu Ming 1 explored the history of the Italian North-East in Cento anni a nord-est [A Hundred Years in the North-East] (2011b), where political neo-fascist movements were carrying out an ideological appropriation of historical narratives related to WWI, Fascism and WWII. More recently, Wu Ming 1 told the history of the NO TAV movement, publishing the UNO Un viaggio che non promettiamo breve in 2016, and worked on the lives of confined anti-fascists in La macchina del vento [The Wind Machine] (2019). After the novel Guerra agli umani [War on Humans] (2004), about environmental issues and sustainable lifestyles, Wu Ming 2 focused on these themes and composed the two stories Il sentiero degli dei (2010) and Il sentiero luminoso (2016), connected projects related to the effects of massive construction works on the landscape. Finally, Wu Ming 4 focused on the figure of Thomas Edward Lawrence, protagonist of Stella del mattino [Morning Star] (2008), and John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, also present in the novel as a character. Wu Ming 4 wrote several essays about Tolkien’s writings and its contemporary interpretations, like Difendere la terra di mezzo [Defending Middle Earth] (2013). In 2016, he also published the book Il piccolo regno [The Little Kingdom].
Besides the already mentioned productions published with members external to the collective, one must recall the UNOs Timira (2012), written by Wu Ming 2 and Antar Mohamed, and Point Lenana (2013), written by Wu Ming 1 in collaboration with Roberto Santachiara. They deal with the history of fascism, its legacy and the consequences of Italian colonialism. They also mark Wu Ming’s 2014 shift from an experimental approach to the historical novel as a genre to a more intense commitment to UNOs.
- 24.
“Il punto di vista narrativo sembra sottrarsi a qualsiasi definizione etica o morale.”
- 25.
“Gli atti crudeli ed efferati sono compiuti da entrambe le parti, e fin dall’inizio il gioco dei punti di vista non esita a mostrarci il carattere padronale e colonialista del clan dei Johnson [la famiglia proprietaria della terra dove vive parte del popolo Mohawk]. L’immagine d’insieme sembra allora restituire una riflessione più ampia su una fase storica segnata dalla violenza, nella quale sta per non esserci più spazio per una cultura meticcia e accogliente dove le danze scozzesi degli highlands potevano intrecciarsi ai riti dei Mohawk.”
- 26.
For a thorough discussion of the concept of mythopoesis and its relevance to Wu Ming’s activism see Citton (2013).
- 27.
“Riguardano imprese storiche o mitiche, eroiche o comunque avventurose … sempre all’interno di conflitti più vasti … sugli sfondi di crisi storiche, catastrofi, formazioni sociali al collasso.”
- 28.
My analysis will not discuss the legitimacy of choosing an English label for describing an Italian phenomenon, the exhaustiveness of the list of works that Wu Ming 1 includes in the NIE (Scarpa 2009), or its debts to postmodernism (Pincio 2008; Boscolo 2010a; Di Martino 2011; Magini and Santoni 2008). These points, except for the third, do not add anything to the debate. Particularly, the second misunderstands Wu Ming 1’s intention, which is not to write a programmatic manifesto, but to make a proposal which can become the occasion for writers and critics to confront each other and make a common effort in understanding the complexity of a literary phenomenon. Moreover, it is not useful for my purposes to question whether the adjective Epic is appropriate (Magini and Santoni 2008; Spinazzola 2010a) and I do not investigate the connections between NIE works and the Italian epic tradition (Boscolo 2008; Vito 2009; Biasini 2010; Casadei 2009; Giovannetti 2011; Spinazzola 2010a). Also, for the purposes of my argument, it is not necessary to analyse how the reflections on New Italian Epic entered the broader confrontation about the return to realistic aesthetics in Italian contemporary literature. Initiated by a special issue of the journal Allegoria in 2008 (Donnarumma et al. 2008), this confrontation triggered the organisation of several conferences and consisted of several publications (Cortellessa 2008; Serkowska 2011; Boscolo 2010b; Spinazzola 2010b; Ferraris 2012; Somigli 2013).
- 29.
“Il processo di rappresentazione dell’immagine fino all’annientamento della sua capacità di rappresentazione, rendendo così manifesti i limiti della rappresentazione.”
- 30.
“Un dispositivo … perfettamente coincidente con un punto di vista. Una non-persona, una pura angolazione extra-umana.”
- 31.
“Al minimo comune denominatore dell’esperienza personale.”
- 32.
All content published by the collective in digital or paper form report the following sentence or a variation of the same: “Partial or total reproduction of this book, in electronic form or otherwise, is consented to for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original copyright notice and this notice are included and the publisher and source are clearly acknowledged” [Si consente la riproduzione parziale o totale dell’opera ad uso personale dei lettori e la sua diffusione per via telematica purché non a scopi commerciali e a condizione che questa dicitura sia riprodotta].
- 33.
“Una bottega artigiana … un atelier di servizi narrativi … un’azienda che finanzia e promuove progetti di sabotaggio al capitalismo!”
- 34.
“Stando ben dentro l’industria dei contenuti, però secondo un profilo straniato e polemico.”
- 35.
- 36.
The collective and Jenkins benefited reciprocally from their encounter. Wu Ming members discovered Jenkin’s theory in 2006 when they read Convergence Culture. The American scholar interviewed the activists in October 2006 (Jenkins 2006b), while Wu Ming dedicated to Jenkins’ theory several essays published on Giap between 2006 and 2007 (see Wu Ming 2006a, 2006b and 2007a). In 2007, the collective also wrote the introduction to the Italian edition of Convergence Culture.
- 37.
“Educare, fornire competenze, allenare alla trattativa, al pensiero collaborativo, all’uso della Rete.”
- 38.
“Nel web … sta agli ideatori e ai fruitori di tali progetti far sì che l’impianto possa variare da un’interattività di tipo perlopiù ludico-edonistico … o didattico … ad esperimenti che incidano criticamente sui contesti estetici, politici e antropologici delle società attuali.”
- 39.
“Un luogo dove i contenuti del romanzo e del sito vengono amplificati, estesi, messi in risonanza … una possibilità di interazione, un’occasione per lavorare insieme alla creazione del mondo di Manituana, di cui il romanzo è certo l’asse portante ma non l’intera architettura.”
- 40.
“Racconti prodotti dalla comunità dei lettori, in modo che il sito si trasformasse in un’estensione partecipata del romanzo e soprattutto del mondo che vogliamo esplorare.”
- 41.
The reading-concert Pontiac, storia di una rivolta was performed by Wu Ming 2 (texts and readings) in collaboration with Stefano Pilia (guitar), Egle Sommacal (guitar), Paul Pieretto (rhythm section) and Federico Oppi (rhythm section). The reading-concert will be later published as an illustrated audiobook accompanied by a CD, with drawings by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Landini.
- 42.
A detailed description of the Wu Ming Foundation is available on the blog Giap in both Italian (https://www.wumingfoundation.com/giap/che-cose-la-wu-ming-foundation/) and English (https://www.wumingfoundation.com/giap/what-is-the-wu-ming-foundation/).
- 43.
The expression Wu Ming fans to describe the members of the groups and collectives that participate in the Wu Ming Foundation is inadequate, as the relationship between Wu Ming and the groups/collectives of the Wu Ming Foundation is more complex than the one usually associated with fandom. However, I will retain the expression to be consistent with its use in Jenkins and to emphasise the link between the genealogy of these groups/collectives and Wu Ming’s activism.
- 44.
The performances draw on the stories of Free Karma Food, Manituana, Previsioni del tempo, L’armata dei sonnambuli, Point Lenana and several Wu Ming’s short stories.
- 45.
Razza partigiana, inspired by a historical essay on the life of Italian-Somali partisan Giorgio Marincola, was recorded and later attached to the book Basta uno sparo [One Shot is Enough] (2010a) as a CD.
- 46.
In 2004, Renata Molinari and Luigi Dadina staged the reading Al placido Don. Fantasmi del fiume [Along the Placid Don: Ghosts of the River], inspired by Asce di guerra; the Yo Yo Mundi collaborated with Laura Bombonato in the production of the musical 54: anno incredibile [54: Incredible Year] (2006); the theatre troupe Margine Operativo worked on New Thing for the spectacle La nuova cosa [The New Thing] (2009); Tamara Bartolini and Michele Baronio transformed Timira in the reading Come fratelli e sorelle: vite profughe, esistenze partigiane [Like Brothers and Sisters: Refugee Lives, Partisan Existences] (2013) in which Wu Ming 2 also participated; Ente Teatro Cronaca Vesuvioteatro more recently adapted L’armata dei sonnambuli for the stage (2017).
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Saporito, P. (2024). Introduction: Map** Wu Ming’s Transmedia Activism in Neoliberal Society. In: Wu Ming's Transmedia Activism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57888-5_1
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