2016/01/01 by Daphne Rozenblatt · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Italian Fascism and Post-war Society #Facial expression #Expression (computer science) #Politics #Face (sociological concept) #Communication #Psychology #Computer science #Political science #Linguistics #Philosophy
paper · pdf · doi:10.14280/08241.48
openalex publication_date 2016/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
How does history explain a smile?If he were winged by two men in similar clothing, two women, or two children, his smile, laughter, and cheery disposition might mean something else.But flanked by two officers, Luigi Lucheni's smile was the sign of disease and depravity.While the smile might be a basic -and some might say universalhuman expression,[1] the meaning of this smile was shaped by political, legal, scientific, and popular discourses at the turn of the twentieth century.This photograph was taken of Luigi Lucheni (1873-1910) after he had been arrested for the murder of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, still popularly known as Sisi (1854-1898).On September 10, 1898 in Geneva, Lucheni stabbed her through the chest with a thin blade that penetrated her heart.Born in Paris, Lucheni was an Italian who had served in the army before emigrating to Switzerland.Like many other Italian anarchists of the time, Lucheni had gone abroad to seek a better life but found himself in dire conditions.Embracing Kropotkin's notion of "propaganda by deed" -the committing of a political act that would be exemplary to others -Lucheni had plotted to kill Prince Philippe, Duke of Orlans .When the Duke changed his travel plans, Lucheni settled on a member of the aristocracy.Because the empress was traveling incognito, Lucheni didn't know exactly who he had killed until after his arrest.Lucheni's smile, therefore, took on political significance: Lucheni smiled in the aftermath of his surprising and successful attack against a literal and figurative head of state.