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Italian American identity

america-contro-immigrati-italiani

News - 17 Luglio

When the Term “Italian American” Means the Worst of Both Worlds

It is no mystery that some segments of the Italian-American community share the rest of the nation's view of African-American's shortcomings as due to "moral flaws": their endemic laziness, the parasitism that makes them dependent on social welfare, the propensity to crime. Paradoxically, these are exactly the same vices that, in Italy, sum up the northern prejudices towards southerners which make up the majority of the Italian diaspora in America.

columbus-statue-boston

News - 17 Luglio

Getting Out of An Embarrassing Situation: Replace Columbus with MLK, Jr.

The argument made by Douglass in 1852 is similar to that of the descendants of the "Native Americans" who do not celebrate "Thanksgiving", and could also be taken as a model by us today when it comes to reflecting on the meaning of "Columbus Day", and of the solemn statues dedicated to the man who was respectfully called "the Admiral".

columbus day parade

News - 17 Giugno

In America’s “Novel”, Italian-Americans and Columbus Are “Cheated” and “Beaten”

In Italiano It’s almost like a Pirandello play: loves and hatreds, admiration and disdain for a similar situation, but seen from different points of view, simply to remind us that absolute truth does not exist. And this very sick America, angry and instigated, takes it out on its symbols, its memories, its past–but not with […]

meatballs-spaghetti-1290502

Food & Wine - 6 Ottobre 2019

Paisans of the World, Unite! We Are Also Italian, With Our Spaghetti and Meatballs

Italian Americans, their adaptation of Italian dishes and their tastes are judged as being impure in a patronizing and condescending manner… But this mythical Italian-ness, put on a pedestal as an ideal to which all other criteria must come second, is defined by whom? Are the newly arrived from Italy better able to judge?

robert-ponzini-with Nonno on E. 61st between First and Second, below the Queensboro Bridge off-ramp

People - 24 Gennaio 2019

Now that I Live in His Country, My Reflective Images of Nonno in New York

I understand you on your own terms now, Nonno. Before you were a foreigner in my country, now I am one in yours. Funny how symmetrical life can be sometimes.

gay-talese-hofstra-frank-sinatra

Arts - 4 Gennaio 2019

Gay Talese on Italian American Writers: The Epitomy

In this brief video segment taken from a conference on Frank Sinatra, organized by Professor Stanislao Pugliese of Hofstra University, renowned journalist and bestselling author Gay Talese, tells the audience that Italian Americans at the beginning of the 19th Century did not have “a tradition of writing novels.” As they landed in this new country, […]

italian-americans-new-york

People - 3 Gennaio 2019

What Does It Mean to Be Italian American? I Have No Idea

You can’t assimilate without abandoning your heritage, and you can’t embrace your heritage the way the old-timers would like without appearing as an outsider. The challenge is finding a happy medium between the two... I once asked my Grandmother why she never went back to visit Italy; she said: “For what? All I had there was miseria.”

foto-italiamoericani

Lifestyles - 17 Dicembre 2018

What Does Christmas Look Like in an Italian American Family?

Usually an Italian American family Christmas involves at least 20 people, and that is just counting the immediate family. So, it’s very important that everything is studied to detail for the special day. For starters it’s important to count the chairs, because not only will you have to have the right amount of chairs, you also need some extra ones. "Why?" you may ask.

italiani-emigrati-negli-USA

EXPAT - 12 Aprile 2018

La vecchia e la nuova patria. L’identità problematica degli italoamericani

I genitori restavano fedeli alle proprie origini; i figli aderivano al sogno americano e americani volevano essere considerati. Ma i membri della seconda generazione di italoamericani, nel corso del XX secolo, hanno affrontato un enorme dilemma nello scegliere la propria identità culturale. Con l'obiettivo, il più delle volte, di accedere a una mobilità sociale verso l'alto

italian-americans-and-the-high-tide-of-immigration

People - 3 Aprile 2018

As the Columbus Day Debate Rages On, So do the Time-Worn Stereotypes

The number of Italian Americans who hold themselves apart from the Columbus standard bearers is substantial. That we do not have a public voice is not for the lack of trying. There are academics, journalists, and independent scholars pursuing the subject in the form of presentations and publications. Yet, when these folks come together to discuss concerns related to Columbus, or other matters pertinent to Italian Diaspora studies, the mainstream media is nowhere to be found.

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