The “introduction” and “salvation” chapters of Multicultural Literature in Contemporary Italy by Marie Orton and Graziella Parati made for a very interesting read. Many of the issues followed closely with the topics discussed in this program. The “introduction” segment talked a lot about migrants and in particular those in Italy. There was a lot dealing with the difficulty surrounding one’s identity as an immigrant in Italy. An interesting topic brought up dealt with how literature is the ideal forum for identifying the anxieties around the present and future Italian identity. The topic of school children was brought up when the example of the text entitled, “Uno su trenon parla italiano ma qui nessuno e straniero” was used to demonstrate how text can be used in the issue of Italian identity. A few weeks ago we looked at similar topics when we were touring and learning about the Italian school system and how immigrant children in schools play a role in the Italian identity.
The second part entitled “salvation,” talked about an immigrant’s ideas and viewpoints on the issue of immigration in Italy. He talked about his cousin’s brother in law that was attempting to immigrate to Italy. He strongly advised against immigrating to Italy. It became obvious in this chapter that this immigrant had strong disgust for Italy and the government that made it hard to be happy living in Italy as an immigrant. From my experience working in the refugee center and after reading the book Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio, it seems as if this anger and unhappiness as an immigrant in Italy is a common theme. It makes me wonder why so many are choosing to immigrate to Italy if there are so many unhappy immigrants. As stated in this chapter, the government likes the immigrants due to their aid with taxes so why doesn’t the government devise plans to make coming to Italy as an immigrant a more inviting experience?
No comments:
Post a Comment