Anti-Italianism

There has been an odd reluctance on the part of historians of the Italian American experience to confront the discrimination faced by Italians and Americans of Italian ancestry. This volume is a bold attempt by an esteemed group of scholars and writers to discuss the question openly by charting the historical and cultural boundaries of stereotypes, prejudice, and assimilation. Contributors offer a continuous series of cultural encounters and experiences in television, literature, and film that deserve the attention of anyone interested in the larger themes of American history.

"From its bold introduction, through its superb research on racism and intelligence testing, to its intensely challenging concluding essay, this stylish collection is by turns deeply historical, movingly, impressively interdisciplinary, and productively combative. United in their themes, but not outlook, the selections offer constant surprises and much food for thought." - David Roediger, Babcock Professor of History, University of Illinois and author of How Race Survived U.S. History

"This is one of those very rare books that narrate an important and forgotten story - the experience of American anti-Italianism - and recount it in a rigorous and touching manner, combining historical, sociological and personal perspectives. Italian-Americans must know this story to be aware of how painful it had been for their parents and their grandparents to be accepted and recognized in America. Italians must know it to learn how painful the discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping they are now too often inflicting on immigrants are." - Maurizio Viroli, Professor of Politics, Princeton University

"At first blush, anti-Italianism seems like a comic punchline, the premise of a Sopranos or Jersey Girls episode rather than the subject of a serious book. Yet behind the wisecracks about gangsters and 'Guidos' lay a long and complex history - a history of pervasive exclusion and persistent stereotyping, of defiant bravado and habitual self-deprecation. As thecontributors to this path-breaking collection show, the history of anti-Italian prejudice has much to tell us not only about the Italian American experience but also about the past and future of America as a whole." - James T. Campbell, Edgar E. Robinson Professor of United States History, Stanford University and author of Middle Passages: African American Journeys to Africa, 1789-2005

 

"From its bold introduction, through its superb research on racism and intelligence testing, to its intensely challenging concluding essay, this stylish collection is by turns deeply historical, movingly, impressively interdisciplinary, and productively combative. United in their themes, but not outlook, the selections offer constant surprises and much food for thought." - David Roediger, Babcock Professor of History, University of Illinois and author of How Race Survived U.S. History

"This is one of those very rare books that narrate an important and forgotten story - the experience of American anti-Italianism - and recount it in a rigorous and touching manner, combining historical, sociological and personal perspectives. Italian-Americans must know this story to be aware of how painful it had been for their parents and their grandparents to be accepted and recognized in America. Italians must know it to learn how painful the discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping they are now too often inflicting on immigrants are." - Maurizio Viroli, Professor of Politics, Princeton University

"At first blush, anti-Italianism seems like a comic punchline, the premise of a Sopranos or Jersey Girls episode rather than the subject of a serious book. Yet behind the wisecracks about gangsters and 'Guidos' lay a long and complex history - a history of pervasive exclusion and persistent stereotyping, of defiant bravado and habitual self-deprecation. As thecontributors to this path-breaking collection show, the history of anti-Italian prejudice has much to tell us not only about the Italian American experience but also about the past and future of America as a whole." - James T. Campbell, Edgar E. Robinson Professor of United States History, Stanford University and author of Middle Passages: African American Journeys to Africa, 1789-2005

 

William J. Connell holds the Joseph M. and Geraldine C. La Motta Chair in Italian Studies at Seton Hall University.  He has published numerous books on Italian history.  In 2009 he was elected a Corresponding Fellow of the Deputazione di Storia Patria per la Toscana. 

Fred Gardaphé is Distinguished Professor of Literature, CUNY. He is the editor of Italian American Ways; Shades of Black and White: Conflict and Collaboration Between Two Communities; and From the Margin: Writings in Italian Americana, among others.