Since the beginning of the quarter my idea of who/what is Italian has drastically changed. The idea of what is considered Italian is a socially constructed concept developed by individuals living in Italian society. This concept is fluid and constantly changing. It is affected by many things including immigration, education, language, and the church.
Italy is a very hard country to prosper within if you are an immigrant. Italians are very concerned with preserving the 'true Italy' – working with Italians, speaking only Italian, marrying only Italians, living in Italian neighborhoods, attending Italian, Roman Catholic Churches and so on. I have discussed the concept of Italian identity with several of our guest speakers and local Italians as well. When I ask about what/who society considers Italian, the answer is usually the same: a person is Italian if at least one of their parents is Italian – it does not matter where the person is born. Italy is a popular destination for refugees and immigrants because its relatively lax borders and many end up staying in Italy to make a better life for themselves and their families. They come here, have children, learn the language, adopt the culture and assimilate; yet, they, or their children, will most likely never gain citizenship, land a well-paying job (usually reserved for Italians), or be seen as Italian. This is the never ending, vicious cycle of immigration in Italy.
The Roma, for instance, have been in Italy for over 500 years but are not seen as Italian. Over the last decade, however, immigrants have come together and formed organizations who work to combat these issues. G2 is an example of one of these organizations. G2 is made up of immigrants – some were born in Italy, some came as children. The two men who came to talk with us, Ezequial and Alpha shared their struggles with us and explained how difficult it is to gain citizenship in Italy.
Ezequial was born in Argentina and came to Italy when he was three years old. He is fair skinned so many people say “Wow, you were born in Argentina? You speak Italian so well!” His response is always the same, “Well, I am Italian. I've been speaking Italian my entire life.” In the beginning of the quarter we conducted interviews with Italians regarding their opinion on immigrants and immigration. A common response when asked about immigrants was that they were a burden because they don't speak Italian. This is apparently one of the biggest issues with Italians accepting immigrants.
Alpha, also from G2, told a similar story but instead of his birth place, he is often judged by his skin color. His parents are from Senegal but he was born here in Italy. When asked where he is from, he says “Italy,” of course, the person commonly responds with “no, I mean where are you from??” This is painful for individuals like Alpha and Ezequial because they have lived in Italy their entire lives – there is no other country where they call home. Italy is where they most identify with, it is who they are, it is the language that they speak, is it a place that they love; yet, this place does not love them back.
Education and the concept of youth is another social construct affecting Italian identity. The education system here in Italy is very different than any I have learned about before. The method of teaching, the lack of technology, and especially the separation of Italian children and immigrant children into different classrooms as sometimes even different schools. The school we went to visit near Piazza Vittorio, for example, is attended primarily by immigrant children. Iqubal Masih, on the other hand, is a mix of immigrants and Italian children – which is how it should be, according to Italian law. In the discussion we had with Anna from Caritas, she explained to us that in Italy, classrooms are not allowed to have more than 30% immigrant students. Having studied the Civil Rights movement, this is scary to me – except here it isn't separate but equal, it is just separate. Immigrants and Italians are rarely, if ever, seen as equal in society. Keeping native Italian students and immigrant students separate in schools maintains the concept that immigrants are different and should be treated differently. This something, I feel, influences Italian identity.
This separation in schools maintains the system of social stratification in Italy for many reasons; specifically because of the language barrier. When children come to Italy with their parents at a young age and begin school there are very few resources to help them learn the language. They instantly fall behind the Italian students; therefore, reinforcing the stereotype that immigrants are less intelligent than Italian students. Some schools have Italian second language programs but because of budget cuts, many of these programs have been taken away. According to Anna, “children who come to Italy in their teens fall so far behind because they do not speak the language that they sometimes cannot recover because there are no Italian second language programs found in high schools.”
The church is also an influential factor of Italian identity. “All Italians are Roman Catholic. Period.” this is the mentality of many Italians according to Roberto from ArciGay, “There are just some things that all Italians do: the church, the language, the food, the family, the culture. You do not know these things unless you are raised with them. It is not the same if you adopt them later in life – “True Italians have lives this way their entire lives, it's in their blood.” I understand where Roberto is coming from but there are many immigrants who come to Italy who were raised Catholic, willing to adopt Italian culture and assimilate. Italians are a tough crowd!
Italian identity is changing and progressing, just slower than other countries. To me, it is impossible to answer the question “who/what is Italian,” just as it is impossible to answer the questions”what/who is youth.” The answer will always depend on who you are asking. In my opinion, one way to look at this is to see it as two Italys – traditional and modern. Traditional has to do with the food, the ruins, church and antiquity. Modern Italy has to do with food, language, youth making a comeback and becoming progressive, fertility, church, immigration, education and the many different colors of Italy. This is what Italy has become, without these influences, Italy and Italian identity would not be as it is today. And today, I like Italy!
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