Milan’s lead years. The human face of political violence in Anglophone media discourse

Background. Over 50 years – more than half a century – has passed since the 1969 Piazza Fontana attack in Milan, which was among the incidents marking the beginning, both locally and nationally, of the so called ‘lead years’ (anni di piombo) in Italy. This was a period of political unrest that saw numerous violent acts, with many victims, mar the Italian scene, especially during the 1970s and 1980s, but which some scholars see extending into the 2000s. Material. The violent events that took place in those years were chronicled in many news outlets throughout the world. This study focuses on attacks that occurred in Milan, as reported by English-speaking sources. Aim. The purpose is to capture the affective dimension of the protagonists (perpetrators and victims alike) in the way they were depicted in contemporary reports, possibly extending the observation to more recent times, contingent on material availability. Method. The study adopts methods in applied linguistics, drawing on sentiment and discourse analysis in particular. The analysis is predominantly qualitative in nature, backed up where possible by quantitative inputs. Relevance. This paper contributes to studies exploring crises, extremisms and terrorisms, to offer a linguistic exploration of the human construction of those involved and – possibly – to contribute to the overall reflection on societal discourse across cultures.