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Mostly based on lexicographic evidence – approximately seventy dictionaries were consulted – this contribution is an attempt to narrate the quincentennial transatlantic journey undertaken by the word stiletto, now referring to a globally-recognized emblem of femininity, eroticism and fetish. Occasionally, even the analysis of a single lexical item may in fact reveal unforeseen developments in the evolution of looks and styles and their attendant vocabulary: this enquiry indeed shows how in time stiletto may be interpreted as a false Italianism, as a reborrowing and as an internationalism. In spite of the fact that fashion lexicon, due to its close bond with the culture of mass consumption, is mostly short-lived, stiletto heels represent one of those rare instances where must-have cult objects, ladies shoes in this case, rightfully become members of the collective cultural and linguistic heritage, thus being permanently associated to the vogue of a certain époque. false Italianism; fashion; fetish; internationalism; reborrowing

Using the travel writing of six Americans in their teens who went to Europe between WWI and WWII, this article argues that broader trends of mass tourism, such as travel’s extension beyond European elite and inclusion of women, intersected with Americans’ preoccupation with youth and youth culture in the interwar years. First, an examination of publications aimed at middle-class Americans demonstrates that contemporaries saw travel as a way to mitigate anxieties about youth, nationalism, and internationalism. Then, a close reading of the youths’ writing reveals that as young American women growing up in a period in which anxieties about youth and young women’s sexuality were high, their gender and age were crucial to how they made sense of their social and political experiences abroad.

The International Institute of the Middle Classes was created in Stuttgart (with Brussels as operating headquarter) in 1903. It was mostly inspired by F. Le Play's ideas and the chair's German socialism, and its main aims were to define middle classes and protect them from the development of monopoly capitalism and from the great industrial concentration. This paper outlines the debate concerning the definition of middle classes, within the Institution, which covered a time span ranging from the first years of the twentieth century to the second after-war. Furthermore, this study underlines the importance of the international Congresses that were organized by the Institute in various European cities (e.g., Liege in 1905, Vienna in 1908, Munich in 1911, Paris in 1924, Rome in 1927, Prague in 1935 and Brussels in 1948). Those Congresses were crucial to foreground the themes and issues associated with middle classes in Europe, and they even succeeded in affecting the manners whereby various national States were established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical literature on Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy is vast and continuously enriched by new readings of its significance in the American international grand design of the 20th and 21st centuries. In the wake of the celebrations of the U.S. entrance in WWI, several scholars have taken the opportunity to reappraise such policy, highlighting its relevance for later presidents and secretaries of state. The essay reviews these recent works offering an analysis of the main tenets of «wilsonism» with special reference to its ideas of a «universal covenant» and a «cooperative peace». Thanks to the studies analyzed in this essay wilsonian liberal internationalism and democratic nationalism receive a new worthy appraisal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deputy director of the International department of the German social democratic party from 1970 to 1997, Veronika Isenberg was, throughout the years on which this special issue focuses, a key player in the social democratic networks and in the Spd party diplomacy. In this interview of June 2019, she offers a unique personal perspective on the international activities of the party in the years of Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt, as well as a reflection on the current condition of European social democracy and of political internationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the 1970s, this article analyses the history of social democratic internationalism emphasising the interaction between the latter and the wider context of the different networks of Western political cooperation. The article shows how, starting from the 1970s, the decline of the Cold War order and the emergence of a new and pervasive phase of globalisation changed the relationship that existed between social democratic internationalism and Euro-Atlantic political networks. In this context, social democrats attempted to play a more independent role on the international scene. This opened up new opportunities, but also confronted them with new problems and internal divisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the period between 1889 and 1914, the debate on peace and war in international socialism was deep and wide. In this essay I will focus on the left-wing positions identifying two models. On the one hand, the "anti-capitalist pacifism", which connects peace to the political and social revolution: the position of Rosa Luxemburg serves as an example. On the other hand, the "political pacifism", which pursues peace here and now as the basic premise of socialism: this position is represented by the anarchist-socialist Gustav Landauer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses concepts of imperialism and liberal internationalism in the political philosophy of British liberalist writers Alfred E. Zimmern, John A. Hobson, and Henry N. Brailsford. Topics discussed include the idea of the empire in liberal internationalist thought, the reactions of these thinkers to political crises of the 1930s, and the influence of imperialist thought on their writings.

Copyright of Sociologia del Lavoro is the property of FrancoAngeli srl and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The topic of the lex mercatoria is of particular interest to the legal historian, both in relation to today's new ideologies of internationalism, supported by a reference to the past, and with regard to the study of law sources. That being said, however, it is probably rather difficult to make a case for the existence in the Middle Ages and a substantial part of the modern era of an autonomous commercial system of rules and regulations, supranational, uniform and unfettered by local regulations. The existence of commercial conventions is undeniable. But they must be interpreted in a light that gives due consideration to the input of reciprocal influence, of the elaboration of doctrine and of the style of jurisprudence practised in the courts of the ancien régime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]