Book Reviews

Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister since 2008, has also held this position between 1994 and 1995 and from 2001 to 2006. At the same time, he is the owner of the Italian TV Network Mediaset which includes Canale 5, Rete 4 and Italia 1 channels, the advertisement agency Publitalia, the film production and distribution enterprise Medusa and the TV production firm Endemol. Berlusconi controls over 60per cent of the Italian advertising market, the powerful publishing company Mondadori, the newspaper Il Giornale and also the Mediolanum bank. Apart from all this, he controls—what he himself sees as ‘the jewel in his crown’—the football club AC Milan. One may wonder: Is there any life beyond the Berlusconi Empire in Italy? The authors of this book think that there certainly is, and that there is scope for resistance, too. The main subject of Resisting the Tide is the analysis of the different and heterogeneous forms of resistance and opposition to ‘Berlusconism’ as an archetype of politics, values, styles and mentalities embodied in the figure of the current Prime Minister. In this sense, for many scholars, Berlusconism represents the immaturity of Italian democracy, the irresponsibility of its elites and the growing indifference and apathy of the Italian population. This is why some individuals, groups and organizations are seeing this trend as a dangerous challenge to the progressive sectors of Italian society. Several intellectuals, artists, media participants and social activists have developed a set of initiatives with the intention of combating the influence of Berlusconism in the different areas of Italian cultural and social life. One can hope that not everything is lost. What then is new in this book? Above all, the volume stands out because of its analytical approach. The authors focus their attention on the variety of oppositional types outside institutional politics from 2001 to 2006. They do not try to analyse the roots of Berlusconism, the structure of its economic power or the political career of the Prime Minister. In contrast, Resisting the Tide is about a different form of resistance, about its expression and articulation, and about social actors who are convinced that their lives are affected by the presence of Berlusconi as the head of state. The result is a very interesting text, particularly useful and informative for any readers interested in Italy and particularly in Italy’s most recent history. The book opens with a general portrait of Italy today. Chapters 1, 2 and 3 focus on the economy, society, the mass media and electoral campaigns, and chapters 4 and 5 deal with institutional politics. This general approach offers the basic framework within which the oppositional movements can operate. These movements are seen as the protagonists,