摘要：The paper analyses the behaviour of Italians on the colonial scene (Libya, Abyssinia
and Ethiopia), a behaviour characterised by violence and imposition. The Italians were guilty
of many war crimes and of ¡°genocide¡± in at least two cases: the treatment meted out to the
Cyrenaic people, and the repression of Ethiopian opposition.
The present work focuses on the violence perpetrated against African women, a phenomenon
particularly difficult to investigate. More specifically, the paper looks at the reasons for the
silence surrounding the gender violence: the general delay of the historical investigation into
colonial matters, the myth of the italiani brava gente, the general scarcity of research into the
history of women in Africa before, during, and after colonisation.
In the second section, the paper reviews the socio-psychological theories and models which
can contribute to the understanding of the phenomena of collective violence and genocide. In
particular, the present work focuses on studies concerning racism, stereotyping and prejudice
(especially, the Stereotype Content Model), delegitimisation processes, moral disengagement,
effects of collective guilt and shame in attitudes of reparation for historical wrongdoing.
