Intimacy and Italian Migration

Loretta Baldassar is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Western Australia.Donna R. Gabaccia is professor of history at University of Toronto and scholar of international migration, gender and food studies. She has written and edited fifteen books on U.S. immigration, migration in world history, and the history of the worldwide Italian diaspora.

"A multitude of eminently accessible, albeit primarily scholarly, perspectives under the umbrella of the concept of family and the role of women." -- -Maria Enrico Borough of Manhattan Community College "An invitation to the interpretive community of scholars of the Italian diaspora to engage, once and for all, in a discussion that is analytical to the core ... A mosaic of impressive intellectual exercises." -- -Anthony Tamburri Queens College "From Mazzini the asexual republican leader to Rudolph Valentino, Latin lover incarnate, and from kitchens to bedrooms, Intimacy and Italian Migration re-questions the ways in which national identities are constructed-from abroad and from the home. This innovative collection of articles compares everything from the Italian mother in Australia, Ireland, and Germany, to the 'translocal' practices of Italian emigrant families. Its strength lies in addressing both stereotypes and experience in the gendered construction of Italian identity around the world." -- -Nancy L. Green co-editor, with Francois Weil of Citizenship and Those Who Leave "... A solid collection of articles that break new ground. In contrast to traditional studies, this volume focuses on the translocal and transnational aspects of migration and places specific emphasis on how factors such as gender, questions of identity and the policies of nation-states affect, and are affected by, the everyday thoughts, decisions and life experiences of individuals." -Anthropological Forum From Italy as nation some 26 million migrant men and women left since 1870 to create in gendered lives many Italies across the globe. The paradigmatic essays in this volume analyze how they, with their children and grandchildren, defined translocal and transcultural intimate spheres and redefined processual belongings in highly personal and often contested family arenas. The authors offer fascinating perspectives on the lifetime trajectories of women and men in local-global-national communities. No future research on nations and societies may do less than this path-breaking synthesis edited by the top scholars in the field." -- -Dirk Hoerder Arizona State University