Gli studi sull'industria culturale in Italia

[Autom. eng. transl.] The intervention briefly reconstructs the story of the Italian debate on the cultural industry, from its origins to today. The passage from the entry of the concept into the national debate to its historical declination is illustrated, up to its long questioning and redefinition. The article is divided into four parts: in the first, we focus on the theoretical legacy of Adorno and Horkheimer (and more generally of the Francofortesi) and of Morin; in the second and third, the research strands (historical, social and cultural) are studied, which are compared with the concept; in the fourth one we anticipate some questions related to the utility that the concept can have - or not have - in the current structure of the media and cultural production.