Pre-Occupied Spaces: Remapping Italy's Transnational Migrations and Colonial Legacies (Critical Studies in Italian America)

By highlighting Italy’s long history of emigration to all continents in the world, as well as its lesser known colonial experiences, Fiore’s book poses Italy as a unique laboratory to rethink national belonging at large in our era of massive demographic mobility. Through an interdisciplinary cultural approach, the book finds traces of globalization in a past that may hold interesting lessons about inclusiveness for the present. Fiore’s imaginative remapping of Italy’s national formation and development foregrounds the perspectives of the “outsiders,” that is, departing and arriving migrants along diasporic and (post-) colonial routes. In adopting a lens that introduces space theories by de Certeau, Lefebvre, and Soja to the trans-national dimension of the Italian nation, Fiore analyzes films, novels, songs, plays, and nursery rhymes by migrant and non-migrant authors and artists. They range from established names such as Calvino, Rodari, Mazzucco, Ghermandi, and Lakhous to lesser known artists in the English-speaking world such as Cavanna, Pariani, and Mignonette. Set in such diverse places as Argentina, Egypt, the U.S., Italy, and France, and created by authors originally from Algeria, Tunisia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Romania among other places, these works are strongly focused on the spaces where migrants travel, reside, and work. Seas and oceans, multi-ethnic neighborhoods and buildings, as well as construction sites and domestic environments, are spaces full of preoccupation about the presence of migrants as well as spaces always pre-occupied by previous stories of migration that set up commonalities rather than divisions along cultural lines. By Linking Italy's Long History Of Emigration To All Continents In The World, Contemporary Transnational Migrations Directed Toward It, As Well As The Country's Colonial Legacies, Fiore's Book Poses Italy As A Unique Laboratory To Rethink National Belonging At Large In Our Era Of Massive Demographic Mobility. Through An Interdisciplinary Cultural Approach, The Book Finds Traces Of Globalization In A Past That May Hold Interesting Lessons About Inclusiveness For The Present. Fiore Rethinks Italy's Formation And Development On A Transnational Map Through Cultural Analysis Of Travel, Living, And Work Spaces As Depicted In Literary, Filmic, And Musical Texts. By Demonstrating How Immigration In Italy Today Is Preoccupied By Its Past Emigration And Colonialism, The Book Stresses Commonalities And Dispels Preoccupations. -- This Book Rethinks Italy's Formation And Development On A Trans-national Map Through Cultural Analysis Of Travel, Living And Work Spaces As Depicted In Literary, Filmic And Musical Texts. By Demonstrating How Today's Immigration In Italy Is Pre-occupied By Its Past Emigration And Colonialism, The Book Stresses Commonalities And Dispels Preoccupations-- Machine Generated Contents Note: -- Introduction. All At One Point: The Un/likely Connections Between Italy's Emigration, Immigration And (post-)colonialism -- Part I. Waters: Migrant Voyages And Ships From/to Italy -- Aperture I: An Osean Of Pre-occupation And Possibilities: The Show L'orda -- Chapter 1. Crossing The Atlantic To Meet The Nation: The Emigration Ship In Mignonette's Songs And Crialese's Nuovomondo -- Chapter 2. Overlapping Mediterranean Routes In Marra's Sailing Home, -- Ragusa's The Skin Between Us, And Tekle's Libera -- Part Ii. Houses: Multi-ethnic Residential Spaces As Living Archives Of Pre-occupation And Invention -- Aperture Ii: A Multi-cultural Project In A National Square: The Orchestra Of Piazza Vittorio -- Chapter 3. Displaced Italies And Immigrant Delinquent Spaces In Pariani's Argentinian Conventillos And Lakhous' Roman Palazzo -- Chapter 4. Writing The Pasta Factory And The Boarding House As Trans-national Homes: Public And Private Acts In Melliti's Pantanella And Mazzucco's Vita -- Part Iii. Workplaces: A Creative Re-occupation Of Labor Spaces Against Exploitation -- Aperture Iii: Labor On The Move: Rodari's Construction Workers And Kuruvilla's Babysitter -- Chapter 5. Edification Between Nation And Migration In Cavanna's Les Ritals And Adascalitei's Il Giorno Di San Nicola -- Chapter 6: The Circular Routes Of Colonial And Post-colonial Homecare: Però's And Ciaravino's Alexandria And Ghermandi's The Story Of Woizero Bekelech And Signor Antonio -- Conclusions. Italy As An Imagi-nation Laboratory: The Citizenship Law Between In And Outbound Flows. Teresa Fiore. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Machine generated contents note: -- Introduction. All at One Point: The Un/likely Connections between Italy's Emigration, Immigration and (Post- )Colonialism -- Part I. Waters: Migrant Voyages and Ships from/to Italy -- Aperture I: An Osean of Pre-Occupation and Possibilities: The Show L'orda -- Chapter 1. Crossing the Atlantic to Meet the Nation: The Emigration Ship in Mignonette's Songs and Crialese's Nuovomondo -- Chapter 2. Overlapping Mediterranean Routes in Marra's Sailing Home, -- Ragusa's The Skin Between Us, and Tekle's Libera -- Part II. Houses: Multi-Ethnic Residential Spaces as Living Archives of Pre-Occupation and Invention -- Aperture II: A Multi-Cultural Project in a National Square: The Orchestra of Piazza Vittorio -- Chapter 3. Displaced Italies and Immigrant "Delinquent" Spaces in Pariani's Argentinian Conventillos and Lakhous' Roman Palazzo -- Chapter 4. Writing the Pasta Factory and the Boarding House as Trans-National Homes: Public and Private Acts in Melliti's Pantanella and Mazzucco's Vita -- Part III. Workplaces: A Creative Re-Occupation of Labor Spaces against Exploitation -- Aperture III: Labor on the Move: Rodari's Construction Workers and Kuruvilla's Babysitter -- Chapter 5. Edification between Nation and Migration in Cavanna's Les Ritals and Adascalitei's "Il giorno di San Nicola"--Chapter 6: The Circular Routes of Colonial and Post-Colonial Homecare: Però's and Ciaravino's Alexandria and Ghermandi's "The Story of Woizero Bekelech and Signor Antonio" -- Conclusions. Italy as an Imagi-Nation Laboratory: The Citizenship Law between In and Outbound Flows Runner Up Winner of the Edinburgh Gadda Prize - Established Scholars, Cultural Studies Category Winner of the American Association for Italian Studies Book Prize (20th & 21st Centuries) Honorable Mention for the Howard R. Marraro Prize By linking Italy’s long history of emigration to all continents in the world, contemporary transnational migrations directed toward it, as well as the country’s colonial legacies, Fiore’s book poses Italy as a unique laboratory to rethink national belonging at large in our era of massive demographic mobility. Through an interdisciplinary cultural approach, the book finds traces of globalization in a past that may hold interesting lessons about inclusiveness for the present. Fiore rethinks Italy’s formation and development on a transnational map through cultural analysis of travel, living, and work spaces as depicted in literary, filmic, and musical texts. By demonstrating how immigration in Italy today is preoccupied by its past emigration and colonialism, the book stresses commonalities and dispels preoccupations. " By linking Italy's long history of emigration to all continents in the world, contemporary transnational migrations directed toward it, as well as the country's colonial legacies, Fiore's book poses Italy as a unique laboratory to rethink national belonging at large in our era of massive demographic mobility. Through an interdisciplinary cultural approach, the book finds traces of globalization in a past that may hold interesting lessons about inclusiveness for the present. Fiore rethinks Italy's formation and development on a transnational map through cultural analysis of travel, living, and work spaces as depicted in literary, filmic, and musical texts. By demonstrating how immigration in Italy today is preoccupied by its past emigration and colonialism, the book stresses commonalities and dispels preoccupations. "-- Provided by publisher By linking Italy's long history of emigration to all continents in the world, contemporary transnational migrations directed toward it, as well as the country's colonial legacies, Fiore's text poses Italy as a unique laboratory to rethink national belonging at large in our era of massive demographic mobility. Through an interdisciplinary cultural approach, the work finds traces of globalization in a past that may hold interesting lessons about inclusiveness for the present. Fiore rethinks Italy's formation and development on a transnational map through cultural analysis of travel, living, and work spaces as depicted in literary, filmic, and musical texts