Old Wine, New Identities

In the 21st century, several social-political factors will make traditional territorial nationalism a thing of the past. As this process takes place -- and it is currently underway -- ethnicity will become increasingly important. All of us, like it or not, will have to search beyond the convenient rubric of nation state consciousness for a deeper, more significant identity. It will no longer be sufficient, or even logical, to simply say “I am an American.” Our new identities will have to be found in our ethnic roots.

Since World War II Italian Americans have lived in a twilight zone of cultural identity. As a result of our adeptness at assimilation (the word means “to make similar”), our self-definition has been in a state of crisis for over 50 years, and we are only now becoming more aware of the surrealism of our consciousness. That is, we are neither fully American nor completely Italian, but a new hybrid of Euro-American. We should not skulk at the margins of society, embarrassed and insecure about who we are. We should assert the validity of our perspective. We should exclaim our individual take on life in the new world. We should embrace and celebrate our uniqueness.

Why have Italian Americans put up with social abuse for so long? Perhaps it is because we feel indebted to this country for admitting our immigrant ancestors and saving them from the crushing poverty of their homeland. Our families instilled this gratitude in us and reinforced it with stories about the horrors of the Old World. What they neglected to tell us, however, was the terrible social price they paid as the victims of prejudice. They also paid the price with their psyches. As the second generation blended in, they lost the mother tongue of their parents -- one of the world’s most beautiful languages -- by not passing it on to their children. The second generation grew up more passive and complacent than their parents, accepting the social stereotypes of gangsters-buffoons thrust upon them by the politicians and the media as another price they had to pay to be welcome to live in America.

Basta! Enough of this cringing gratitude. We have been condemned to second-class citizenship for far too long now. Our contributions, education and affluence should have earned us our equality by now. It is time for Italian Americans to forge our own cultural identities, and we can do this by choosing to respect our glorious cultural heritage, by visiting Italy as often as we can, by studying the language and reading the literature, and by educating ourselves about Italian history, and by incorporating this knowledge into our everyday lives.

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