A collection of various studies examines the significant issue of corporate memory in Southern Italy

 

The cultural and historical heritage of a company can be preserved, organised and showcased, ultimately bringing it back to life.  This approach is now shared by many industrial and economic organisations in Italy and beyond. Understanding the significance of these individual initiatives is important:  they highlight the distinctive features of each company, provide a clearer picture of its past and offer insights into its future. In other words, documentary heritage relating to the history of business and work encompasses the most significant cultural, social and productive forces within a large part of the country’s economy.

It is from these premises that the series of studies and investigations coordinated by Amedeo Lepore and Giuseppe Moricola drew inspiration, and which have recently been published as a collection.

Taken together, these studies examine the identification, recovery, organisation and promotion of corporate archives and museums in central and southern Italy from a variety of perspectives. A number of significant case studies have been examined, all of which share one key feature:  these are organisations operating in very different sectors. The working group’s research therefore covers cases such as Banco di Napoli, Mastroberardino and RCA Italia, as well as business clusters such as San Leucio in Campania and the larger Cassa per il Mezzogiorno cluster.

However, what is important beyond the value of individual studies is the general trend that emerges from them.  In addition to presenting and discussing the current state of archival and museum collections, the studies describe a range of specific experiences and case studies that demonstrate the variety of resources available. The analyses coordinated by Lepore and Moricola also provide an important practical insight: the need for a collaborative approach to reviving the systematic collection of widely available documentation. This would provide fresh impetus for analysing entrepreneurship and business in Southern Italy, thereby complementing the existing focus on larger economic entities in the north of the country.

Archivi e memoria di impresa nel Mezzogiorno. Bilanci e prospettive

edited by Amedeo Lepore and Giuseppe Moricola

Rubbettino, 2026