ABSTRACT
Despite the existence of a long national tradition of political thought in Italy, the path to institutionalizing political science in the country was riddled with difficulty. Although initial attempts date back to the eighteenth century, it was only in the second half of the twentieth century that the discipline was transformed into a subject in its own right. This article argues that the strong associations between political science and the teaching of law, as well as with the process of constructing the Italian national government, were the main reasons behind its slow institutionalization. In terms of methodology, the article seeks to reconstruct a political history of political science, contextually highlighting the debate of the time and reestablishing the legislation related to the constitution of political science faculties, schools and courses.
history of Political Science; Antonio Muratori; Benito Mussolini; fascism; Italy