After examining the factors causing fear toward immigrants in most Europeans, the paper addresses the following question: who should benefit from immigration? Is it the host country which is in need of immigrant workers, or is it the immigrants themselves who are in search of a way to escape economic poverty or other situations? The argument is made that neither the thesis that says immigration should be functional only to the host country’s interests, nor the opposite thesis, which sees only benefits for the country of emigration, can be accepted from either an economic or a moral standpoint. The paper defends the position that a sustainable immigration policy should be able to reflect the interests of both parties: immigrants and resident citizens. In turn, such a stance raises the fundamental issue concerning the so-called model of immigrant’s integration into the host society. Granted that neither the assimilationist nor the multiculturalist strategies are effective under present-day conditions, a better strategy, it seems, is the transcultural perspective, which maintains that confrontation and dialogue are possible, indeed necessary, among cultures sharing a common core of values and principles, which are the universal human rights.
R. CACCAVO, Il lavoro straniero nelle strategie sindacali italiane
It’s only in recent years that the foreigners present in Italy (who are mainly migrant workers, and therefore contribute to increase our economy) have been perceived as subjects of rights. At this point, it is interesting to sound out the italian "trade union universe" to see if, and to what extent, the trade unions defend these new labourers’ interests against the employers’ attempts of boundless exploitation.
The trade union defence of immigrants is becoming more and more necessary, not only for immigrant workers: the survival of the trade unions themselves, which are going through a deep crisis due to the dissolution of the old fordist world, signed by factory workers and steady jobs in fixed places, is linked to the development of new forms of representation. In this respect the foreign workers, with their mobility and flexibility, appear as the "new symbol" of a globalized setting.
The essay focuses on a fundamental trend: the changing perception of immigrant workers within the italian trade unions . Differently from the unions of old immigration European countries (France, Germany, Belgium), that have shown a long-lasting commitment towards migrant workers, our trade unions have asked since the beginning employers for equal and fair treatment of local and foreign workers, but in fact their action has been based for a long time on solidarity and assistance towards "poor and undefended people". The Italian unions have just began to go beyond this heavy limitation, setting up the foreigners’ defence within their typical demands and contractual action, in order to realize a real equality between local and migrant workers in the trade union "social microcosmos". This change can be seen not only by the rapid increase of organizative and service structures, but also by a significant evolution of (territorial and category) negotiation. So, a new cycle regarding not only foreign labourers, but also trade unions as a whole, seems now to be emerging.
G. FERRIERI, Le rimesse degli stranieri soggiornanti in Italia
Remittances are
certainly an important phenomenon linked to migration, though difficult to be analysed.
One aspect is the "black", unregistered channel of remittances, which assumes
both legal and illegal forms.
The interest for scholarly work focusing on remittances derives from the possibility of
having a better knowledge of the causes of migration, plus other characteristics, such as
the immigrant attitude toward savings, integration in the job market and so on.
Several leads can be followed. This paper analyses the link between officially registered
remittances and regular foreign immigrants residing in Italy. One core point in question
is the distribution of monetary resources among the various countries of destination.
There are several interpretative theories. One should take into
consideration objective (geographical vicinity of the destination country) and subjective
(knowledge in the financial field, reasons for migrating) factors; furthermore, the
endogenous factors of the country of immigration (level of integration of immigrants) and
exogenous factors (financial offers from the rest of the world). The importance of such
elements can only be examined through statistics on a population sample.
M. PORCELLA, From wanderers to migrants. From the Apennines to the East Coast
Studies on Italian migration ideally
begin from the year 1876, when official statistics are available; in actuality, however,
the origin of migration flows precedes the conventional starting date. According to the
second census of 1871, Italians abroad were over 500.000, coming mainly from the northern
regions. This is an indication that the migration flow, at least in the north-western
regions, was rooted in the past. The need for elaboration of interpretative theories
regarding chronology and causes led to the start of pioneer studies. In the 50th
anniversary of Italian Unification, Francesco Coletti published his "psychological
theory", maintaining that the "migration spirit" was born in the urban and
maritime populations, eventually spreading upward to the rural populations of the mountain
areas. At the same time, Coletti recognized the existence of noticeable exceptions in the
populations of the alpine regions and the Apennines, which had experienced emigration
"from time immemorial". Rather than focusing on elaboration of general theories,
most recent historical studies show a number of cases of rural migration, even in the
maritime region of Liguria, considered a pioneer in trans-oceanic migration.
In particular, the rural history of the Chiavarese area (in the Eastern part of the
region) reveals the existence of an old "America of peasants", which has been
long separated from the more famous America of sailors, fishermen, traders and
middle-class. These first migrants from the Eastern Apennine region reached Philadelphia,
New York, Boston in the early XIX century, sailing from French, English, Dutch, German or
Iberian ports, rather than from Genoa or even on board Genoan ships.
Thanks to the availability of both Italian and American sources, it is possible to have a
documented history of the start of a migratory flow from Eastern Liguria to the United
States from 1826 to1831.
S. FICHERA, California’s Italian-American wine makers: a business trajectory
Another title to this paper might be the rise and decline of Italian- Americans in the California wine industry between 1880 and 1980. This immigrant group never amounted to more than 2% of California’s total population but after Prohibition, it dominated the wine making business for over a generation. How did this happen and what does it tell us about this group’s over-all experience in the United States? In his The Other Bostonians, Stephan Thernstrom has portrayed this group as less competitive and less upwardly mobile than other immigrant groups in Boston, suggesting that it lacked a work ethic. Although this study about Italian-Americans in one industry does not pretend to be a total refutation of Thernstrom’s thesis, still it does suggest that the picture may be more complicated than he makes it out to be. This article shows a tale of ethnic succession in California’s wine industry. Before Prohibition, it was German-Americans who led the way. Earlier on they had been longer in the business, more numerous, and better financed than their competitors. But Prohibition wiped out these advantages. Everyone started off on a more level paying field after Prohibition and at that point it was the Italian-Americans who flocked back into the industry in large numbers. In addition, due to A.P. Giannini’s Bank of Italy/America’s activities, the financial advantage no longer weighed against this new group as it likely did back in the days of Isaias Hellman. Under these more favorable auspices, Italian-Americans gained the upper hand for a time. In other words, contrary to Thernstrom’s warmed over Weber thesis, what was really missing was not an Italian "work ethic" but an opportunity and a "level paying field". The paper also suggests that opportunities and level playing fields may have been more abundant for immigrants in California than in the big cities of the east, and that, for this reason, the whole Italian-American experience may have been quite different in California from that of most other areas of the United States.
C. VILLAUME, The role of family in the integration of Italian Immigrants in the Longwy-Villerupt basin.
For almost a century, the iron
mines and steel factories of the Longwy and Villerupt region have attracted large numbers
of mostly Italian immigrants. The family, among other factors, has played a crucial role
in their integration, and to better focus on this important issue, in preparing this
article I have made use of interviews with some immigrants and their French-born children.
The central issue of this essay is a comparison between the lifestyle of isolated,
unmarried immigrants and that of immigrants with family.
Accordingly, I have shown that the personal conditions of unmarried Italian immigrants
limited their interaction with French society to a merely functional level, since their
only claim to legitimacy in a foreign country was their daily work. In addition, since
their stay was temporary (or at least considered such), their accommodations were
precarious and their living standards were unworthy of a human being. This being
completely alone, however, could not last forever. In the end they either decided to go
back to their country, or chose to marry or to have their families join them in France).
In this article, I have proved that the existence of a family gave Italian immigrants the
opportunity to create a new kind of relationship with French society and to settle down
permanently. To the immigrants who had lost their roots, a warm and stable family
environment provided a shelter and a new source of balance. The family unit proved to be
the place where Italian traditions were preserved and where help was available to face the
immigration shock. The family was also the melting-pot where old and new cultures met and
modified each other. Finally, I have demonstrated that not only the single family unit,
but also the close ties among relatives within the Italian neighborhoods eased the
immigration shock through the solidarity coming from family and community.
A. PEROTTI, The situation of Italian immigrants in the Luxembourg and Lorraine mining and steel district before 1914.
The article is a commentary on Bishop Geremia Bonomelli's travel diary of his visit, at 80 years of age, to the Italians working in Luxembourg and in the Lorraine region. Published in Italy in 1914 (Just before Bonomelli's death), this diary remains one of the most valuable historical documents related to the socio-economic, moral and spiritual situation of the more than 40,000 Italian migrants residing in the iron mining district of Luxembourg and Lorraine (at the time, partly annexed to Germany). In strong and descriptive terms, the diary underscores the pastoral concern and openness of one of the most involved Italian bishops on the issue of migrant workers. He did not shy from denouncing the French iron and steel management for the bad working and living conditions of the Italians, along with the local clergy, too quick to criticize the poor religious practice of the Italian immigrants.
R. VENTURINI, Repeat migration and human mobility within Europe and across the ocean in the Sammarinese emigration documents between the 19th and the 20th centuries
Through careful reading and analysis of the Sammarinese emigration documents, issued between 1843 and 1923 and kept in the Republic of San Marino’s Public Archives, the author intends to reconstruct the stages of Sammarinese migration within Europe and across the ocean in the 19th and 20th centuries. This phenomenon was strictly related to the country’s uncertain institutional, social and economic situation during that same period, particularly from the last decade of the 19th century up to the time immediately following WWI. The research includes also comparisons between the Sammarinese migration movements and the same phenomenon in Italy and in Europe.
Of major importance for this work was the use and statistical aggregation of data from the archives and from other sources. Through archival data and thanks also to contributions from the latest studies on migration, the Author intends to establish whether, in the rather limited San Marino reality, a shift occurred from a pattern of repeat migration a more permanent one, and, if so, when and how.
M. IRIANI, Basques immigrants behind the counter. Courage or logic in the Argentine Pampas during the XIX Century?
Basques played an important role in Rio
de la Plata trading from colonial times up to early part of the 19th century. To
become a trader one had to meet some basic requirements: the potential immigrant had to be
literate, be familiar with the new place and possess initial investment capital.
However, the Pampas region (settled during the XIX century) allowed many euskaldun
immigrants to engage in trading without the proper requirements. The Basque tradition of
migrating to America seeking employment explains part of the phenomenon; family or ethnic
ties, that brought most of the early entrepreneurs, allow us to understand a bit more; the
absence of basic services in Pampas' new towns is an indication of very modest capital
investment at that early stage.
Ó. ÁLVAREZ GILA, Ethnic relationships as explaining factors for the presence of European clergy in Latin America: Basques in Río de la Plata.
Although historical research has focused on the reasons for sending priests and religious from Europe to Catholic America during the XIX and XX centuries, little attention has been paid to researching the patterns employed in this process by religious congregations and ecclesiastical institutions. Beginning with the Basque example, the article applies the methodology developed in the study of economic migration, particularly the concept of chain migration, which turned out to be an efficient tool in analyzing the above-mentioned patterns. Religious orders and priests were going to America, in groups (the former) or as individuals (the latter); as in the case of lay migrants, the existence of invitations from lay or religious elements already in the country of destination and the attraction exerted by existing settlements, were just as relevant for clergy migration. Furthermore, traditional migration factors, such as family ties and kinship, are also important, along with the definition of an authentic "liderazgo étnico" (ethnic leadership) among emigrant clergy.