California Italian Studies

This article explores the relationship between Michel de Certeau (1925–1986)—French historian, theologian, and anthropologist—and the contemporary Italian academic milieu, with a particular focus on his engagement with semiotics and mysticism. On the one hand, Certeau took an active role in the scholarly and research initiatives promoted by the International Center for Semiotics and Linguistics in Urbino, where he revisited, developed, and articulated the central themes of his work. On the other, he found especially fertile ground for dialogue with Italian scholars on the subject of mysticism. Concentrating primarily on the network of relationships that emerged during the 1970s, the article also reconstructs the main trajectories through which Certeau’s thought was received and interpreted in Italy during his lifetime and afterward.