Blog 2

Write about what you think makes Roman and Italian identity. What are the myths around this identity? What are the social, cultural, and physical forces that shape this identity? Who belongs and who doesn't belong and why?

In my opinion, image, status, and tradition are the core components of Roman and Italian identity. The global media portrays Italy as a country of romance where a nice handsome “Paolo” awaits. It is the land of pasta, pizza, and inhabitants who incorporate the exaggeration of hand gestures to their conversations. What many people fail to do, is question the sole image of Italy. That is, can they imagine ‘Paolo’ as being Senegalese or Peruvian? Diversity exists everywhere. Italy is one of the few European countries who has yet to recognize the presence of ethnic minorities, whom they insist are immigrants and not citizens. The term ‘immigrant’ in Italy reflects the national systemization of who can and cannot be Italian. Any individual who fails to look and act ‘Italian’ will be subject to challenges in obtaining recognition and representation (Chaloff, pg. 3).

I make many inferences to the Italian image, which is in short, having light skin (possessing certain physical features), wearing business attire (symbol of status), and being fluent in Italian (emblem of familial history in Italy). The limitation and exclusivity of citizenship is a clear indicator of the systemization of who can be “Italian.” Jus sanguinis does not make a person born in Italy a citizen. Only offspring of Italian parents are automatically granted citizenship. If born from parents who are not Italian, you must wait until 18 years of age to apply. Even then, you must demonstrate evidence of employment and of being  able to “contribute” to the country. There are little to no statistics about which applicants are deemed worthy of receiving  the permesso di soggiorno.  The ambiguity that exists on the political level is a reflection of the society’s elite in their attempt of maintaining a certain image of Italy.

Status is a privilege accessible to the elite. It is not necessarily defined by education, but rather by familial and social networking.  It is defined by color of skin and culture. Anyone that doesn’t fully conform to the “Italian” image will be discriminated against at one point. Testimony from a member of the G2 (Second Generation )organization  who faced ‘discrimination’ even after conforming to the physical image of an ideal Italian, that is, he spoke fluent Italian and possessed Aryan features was discriminated for having a Yugoslavian last name. He has been ‘highly encouraged’ to explain his history and background upon submitting applications for employment, health and social services,  or even when making reservations to restaurants.  An Italian just can’t have a Yugoslavian last name (Guest Speaker, 22/01/2010).  Ms. Denny Mendez, ex Miss Italy, was questioned about her legal status, because she did not represent the typical ‘Italian woman’. Ms.  Mendez has Dominican Republic background. The issue was soon dismissed on the basis that the only requirement for a woman to be Miss Italy was to possess an Italian passport. Clearly, status embeds the internal and external aspects of an individual.

Tradition in Italy is composed of religion and having pride in its history, and how could it not? There are over 6,000 churches across Rome. Proof of the dominance of the Catholic Church in the nation (and in politics). The capital of Italy, in short, depicts the emergence of an evolved culture created from the remains of one of the greatest civilizations in the world, Ancient Rome. A walk around the city will depict a mixture of preserved ancient ruins and newly constructed buildings.  I like to use this image of Rome as a representation of the current identity problem in the country. It is faced by the influx of immigrants (new buildings) and the ‘Italians’ (ancient ruins).