Goliardia is a type of Italian university student association, similar to the fraternities and sororities of the United States and Canada or to the Studentenverbindung in Germany. Their mythology is built around a supposed link to a group of mostly young and disaffected clergy from the 12th to 13th century. Even if their membership has never reached a large audience, the numbers have been decreasing since the postwar initiatives of keeping these clubs alive, especially considering the acts of vandalism perpetrated by its members in major Italian cities like Padua,[1] Parma,[2] Trieste,[3][4] and Genoa.
Etymology
The word "goliard" or, better, "goliarda", is often considered the contraction of "Goliath Abelard". However, the word has an uncertain[5] and debated etymology.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "I goliardi: «Non siamo vandali, da noi gioia e cultura»". 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021.
- ^ "Goliardia o vandalismo?". Archived from the original on 1 March 2021.
- ^ "Fantocci appesi alle statue di piazza". 20 March 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019.
- ^ "Manichini impiccati in piazza Unità: "faida" tra gruppi goliardici". Archived from the original on 1 March 2021.
- ^ Salvatore Battaglia, Goliardi, in Enciclopedia Italiana, vol. 17, Roma, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1933. URL consultato il 1º luglio 2017.
- ^ Jacques Le Goff, Gli intellettuali nel Medioevo, Milano, 1959