WHO ARE THE ITALIAN AMERICANS?

AMERICANS OFITALIAN ANCESTRY

PEOPLE WITH DUALCITIZENSHIP

NUMBERS ON ITALIAN IMMIGRATION

WHEN?

MOSTLY BETWEEN 1880

AND 1960

HOW MANY?

655,888 1890 – 1900

2 MILLION 1900 – 1914

WHY?

MOSTLY POOR ECONOMIC

CONDITIONS

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

RURAL PEASANTS

LITTLE EDUCATION

MANUAL LABOUR

“THE CATHOLICS”

TWO THIRDS MEN

“LITTLE ITALY”

2000 USA CENSUS

TRY TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

• WHO IS HE/SHE?

• TRY TO TRACE HIS/HER ITALIAN ORIGIN.

• HOW DOES HE/SHE FEEL ABOUT BEING ITALIAN AMERICAN?

HOW WERE THEY TREATED?

• ANTI IMMIGRANT DISCRIMINATION

• ANTI CATHOLIC SENTIMENT

• ANTI ITALIANISM

• HOSTILITY

• VIOLENCE

THE LARGEST MASS LYNCHING IN AMERICAN HISTORY

NEW ORLEANS, 1891

11 ITALIAN AMERICANS

“HANG THE DAGOS”

BRUTALLY MURDERED

SICILIANS “LOW FOREHEADS,DARK SKIN … BRUTAL NATURE”

THE SACCO AND VANZETTI TRIAL

AN UNFAIR TRIAL?

ARMED ROBBERY AND MURDER OF A CLERK

TRIALED, CONVICTED AND EXECUTED

INNOCENT OR GUILTY?

CONVICTED BECAUSE OF THEIR ORIGIN?

A POLITICAL AND RACIST TRIAL?

STEREOTYPE

• IT RELATES TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF A GROUP AND IS PRODUCED BY THE MEMBERS OF ANOTHER GROUP

• IT IS BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT THERE ARE ATTITUDES OR WAYS OF BEHAVIOUR SHARED BY ALL MEMBERS OF A GROUP

HOW ARE THEY BORN?

• THEY MAY EMERGE FROM HISTORICAL EVENTS (AT ONE POINT IN HISTORY THEY MAY HAVE BEEN ACCURATE AND THEN PERSISTED WHILE THE CULTURE CHANGED)

AMERICAN INDIVIDUALISM FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF THE PIONEERS IN OLD WEST

THINK ABOUT THE MAFIA STEROTYPE …

WHAY KIND OF STEROTYPES DO WE KNOW?

• POSITIVEHEAVEN IS WHERE THE POLICE ARE ENGLISH, THE

COOKS ARE FRENCH, THE MECHANICS ARE GERMAN, THE LOVERS ARE ITALIAN AND EVERYTHING IS ORGANIZED BY THE SWISS

• NEGATIVE… ? REPHRASE THE SENTENCE ABOVE …HELL IS …

BOYS ARE BETTER AT MATHS THAN GIRLS

GIRLS ARE MORE CREATIVE THAN BOYS

OLD MEN ARE WISE

SLOVENIANS ARE ALCOHOLICS

ITALIANS ARE MAFIOSI

GENERALIZATIONS

• A FLEXIBLE DESCRIPTION ABOUT SOME OR MANY (STEREOTYPES ARE RIGID CONCLUSIONS ABOUT ALL OR MOST)

SOME WHITE PEOPLE HAVE NO RHYTHM

WHITE PEOPLE CAN’T DANCE

COMMERCIALS IN USA

ITALIAN AMERICAN MEN:UNEDUCATED, DISHONEST, VIOLENT, MAFIA GUYS

ITALIAN AMERICAN WOMEN:ELDERLY, OVERWEIGHT, HOUSWIVES, BLACK DRESSES

OPINION SURVEYS

78% OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGERS ASSOCIATE THEMWITH CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES AND BLUE-COLLARWORK POSITIONS

74% OF THE ADULT AMERICANS BELIEVE THEY HAVESOME CONNECTION TO ORGANIZED CRIME

FACTS

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE:LESS THAN 0,0025% OF ITALIAN AMERICANS INVOLVED IN ORGANIZED CRIME

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU:2/3 OF ITALIAN AMERICANS IN WORK FORCE ARE INWHITE-COLLAR JOBS (EXECUTIVES, PHYSICIANS,TEACHERS, ATTORNEYS, ADMINISTRATORS, ETC)

EXAMPLE OF A COMMERCIAL

AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN IS HAVING HERREFRIGERATOR REPAIRED BY A DARK, HAIRY, WHITEMAN NAMED JOE. THE WOMAN ASKS HOW MUCHWILL IT COST TO HAVE THE JOB DONE. “200$”

REPLIESTHE MAN. WHEN SHE CHEKS OPTIMUM ONLINE, SHELEARNS IT COSTS 25$.