Lorenzo Prencipe (a cura di), Dossier: La stampa di emigrazione italiana / The Italian-language press on Italian emigration, pp. 515-719

Lorenzo Prencipe, Stampa “in e di” emigrazione. Informazione nell’ottica della “formazione” / The press “in” and “of” emigration. Information with a formation perspective, pp. 515-524

The “migrant press”, born within the framework of emigration or intended for Italian emigrants, has contributed, in the diversity of contexts, historical periods and ideological approaches, to maintain, create and re-create a tie among the Italians, who for political or economic reasons have emigrated, between this part of Italy that is abroad and Italy, and also between the countries of destination and that of origin. During this time the “migrant press” has dealt with the problematic situations of Italian emigrants, the challenges posed by the process of integration, the necessity to manage a balanced relationship between the countries of settlement and the country of origin of the emigrants, the difficulty of relating with migrants coming from other countries, and, finally, the gradual birth of societies that are increasingly multicultural and multi-religious.

Angelo Principe, Un secolo e più di stampa italo-canadese: 1894-2000 / Over one century of Italian-Canadian press: 1894-2000, pp. 525-546

In over one hundred years of Italian journalistic activity in Canada, three stages, which color each newspaper politically, can easily be detected. The first stage or pioneer years began with L’Italo Canadese that appeared in Montreal in 1894; the second one initiated in 1916 with the launching of l’Italia and lasted until Mussolini’s Italy entered World War II; the final stage, still underway, dates from the publication of the Giornale italo-canadese in August 1940.

Stefano Luconi, La stampa in lingua italiana negli Stati Uniti dalle origini ai giorni nostri / The Italian-language press in the United States from the origins up to the present day, pp. 547-567

This article outlines the history of the Italian-language press in the United States since its early beginning in the mid 19th century to the present time. In particular, it focuses on the various functions the Italian-American newspapers endeavored to perform and on their transformations over the years, with specific attention to the impact of such periodicals on the various dimensions of community life within the numerous “Little Italies” in the USA.

Angelo Trento, Due secoli di giornalismo italiano in Brasile / Two centuries of Italian journalism in Brazil, pp. 568-590

The Italian daily press in Brazil from 1870 to 1940 represents a phenomenon of long duration and remarkable substance in terms of quantity. However, because of poor financial resources the publications were usually short-lived, with some important and significant exceptions, and predictable in terms of contents which privileged news about Italy and the resident communities that were meant to strengthen and promote the “Italian spirit”. The proletarian papers, some of them having a certain depth, constantly juxtaposed ethnic identity and class identity. However, the leftist press ceased its existence in the 1920s. In the period between the two world wars there was a firm adherence to fascism (even if a number of newspapers opposed it) precisely in the name of the “Italian spirit” and the politics of power by Rome. After World War II, the Italian press started to decline until it practically disappeared by the second half of the 1960s.

Federica Bertagna, La stampa italiana in Argentina dal Risorgimento a internet / The Italian press in Argentina from the Risorgimento to internet, pp. 591-612

The history of the Italian press in Argentina is as remarkable as the migration journey from which it emerged. In terms of numbers and quality, duration and propagation, the Italian newspapers and magazines produced between the 1850s to the 1960s bear no comparison with those published by the Italian communities in other parts of the world. Even today around sixty Italian newspapers and magazines are published in Argentina. This essay reconstructs this journey focusing on the main newspapers such as «La Patria degli italiani», «L’Italia del popolo», «Il Mattino d’Italia» and «Il Corriere degli italiani».

Gaetano Rando, I giornali di lingua italiana in Australia / The Italian newspapers in Australia, pp. 613-622

Italian language newspapers have been published in Australia almost continuously since 1885. One of their major roles is that of looking at the internal life of the Italian Australian community, reflecting a sense of community that is partisan and fragmented, a multiplicity of a somewhat contradictory nature rather than a monolith. Another role is that of debating the social problems present both within the community itself and in its relationship with Australian society. Equally important is its role in providing news and information from Italy, a function very rarely undertaken by the English language press. A potential instrument of ethno-political control, Italian-Australian print media have at times acted as a mouthpiece for Italian political and religious interests.

Giovanni Graziano Tassello, La stampa cattolica di emigrazione in Europa / The Italian Catholic emigration press in Europe, pp. 623-652

Even though it has often been considered irrelevant by European historians and sociologists, or it has met with opposition from political factions or the Fascist regime, the Italian Catholic emigration press in Europe has played an important role among migrant communities. Its widespread circulation has helped migrant families overcome difficulties and integrate in the receiving countries. The history of the Catholic ethnic press from the end of the 19th century is examined with its different typologies. After the Second World War this press has known a boom in Europe. Today it faces new difficulties and challenges, such as the use of the Italian language, the growing administrative costs, the shortage of professional journalists. However, editors and religious leaders still consider necessary this type of investment in order to help migrants and their children interpret the social and religious changes taking place in their societies and encourage them to take an active role in social and religious affairs.

Pietro Pinna, La stampa di emigrazione di “sinistra” in Europa / The “leftist” Italian emigration press in Europe, pp. 653-670

The “leftist” Italian press in Europe has followed the events of Italian emigration from the end of the 19th century. Anarchistic papers were already largely available and a socialist press, attentive to the problem of the unionizing of Italian laborers and the risk of competition with the native laborers, was born. The height of these newspapers was reached during the period between the two World Wars. The anti-fascist press was characterized by its cultural and political variety, and was questioning about the relationship that the Italian migrants had to establish with the societies of destination. During the period after World War II the number of leftist periodicals decreased significantly, but newspapers, especially communist, were present in different European regions following the decline of the traditional political press of these years characterized by the informatics revolution.

Nazzareno Mollicone, Vincenzo Centofanti, La stampa di emigrazione di “destra” in Europa / The “rightist” Italian emigration press in Europe, pp. 671-677

The cultural and political environment that can be defined as belonging to the “right” of the political spectrum has had its own press spread among the Italian migrants. After the attention reserved to the migrants at the end of the 19th century by well-known writers and journalists, there was the influence of the fascist regime with its propaganda publications. However, the “rightist” press in the world of emigration developed particularly beginning after the Second World War, thanks to spontaneous initiatives of the communities or promoted by organizations established in Italy such as the CTIM.

Matteo Sanfilippo, Araldi d’Italia? Un quadro degli studi sulla stampa italiana d’emigrazione / Italy’ s heralds? A picture of the studies on the Italian emigration press, pp. 678-695

The essays on Italian emigration press have always proceeded together with the latter, and, better still, have been redacted by the same authors who wrote on those newspapers or by people who were and are linked to them. As a consequence what has been missing is an approach that does not exalt the work of these newspapers and whose objective is not to obtain financial aid, except in a few and recent initiatives that have open the way to the first objective explorations of this field.

Maria Rosaria Ostuni, Il «Bollettino dell’emigrazione» del Commissariato Generale dell'Emigrazione (1902-1928) / The «Bollettino dell’emigrazione» of the Commissariato Generale dell’Emigrazione (1902-1928), pp. 696-698

Among the publications issued by the Commissariato Generale dell’Emigrazione (CGE) the first one was, in 1902, the «Bollettino dell’emigrazione», a periodical publication that made known the activity of the CGE. The themes that found space in this bulletin were the annual concession of the carrier’s licenses; the fees to be paid by the emigrants and the movements of departures; the internal and foreign news about emigration; the legislative measures on immigration taken by the various states; the action exercised by the private aid associations for the protection of the emigrants.

Claudio Colombo, Il «Bollettino quindicinale dell’emigrazione» della Società Umanitaria (1947-1970) / The «Bollettino quindicinale dell’emigrazione» of the Società Umanitaria (1947-1970), pp. 699-709

This essay discusses the salient points and the motivations that in the second half of the 1940s moved the Società Umanitaria of Milano (thanks to the commitment of Riccardo Bauer) to realize the «Bollettino quindicinale dell’emigrazione», a review published from June 1947 to December 1970, with which the charitable institution from Lombardia showed that it was able to follow with regularity the facts concerning its field of competence thanks to a vast selection of foreign press specialized in migrant labor issues, an information network spread out around the world (Rome, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, France, Switzerland), and some precious and casual collaborations by people who went occasionally abroad. This represents an extraordinary editorial adventure, that often stimulated laws and parliamentary debates so that Italy would cease «to be the lucrative business field of all kinds of slave dealers».

Maria Antonietta Tosoni, «Italiani nel Mondo». Rivista quindicinale di emigrazione (1945-1977) / «Italiani nel Mondo»: a bi-weekly magazine of emigration (1945-1977), pp. 710-713

«Italiani nel Mondo» was founded on May 10, 1945 and as a bi-weekly magazine will be published until December 1978. This magazine becomes a window on the world seen from Italy and for the Italians. Its objective is to be the voice of the motherland for the Italians living around the world, and the voice of our far-away brothers for the Italians.

Gianromano Gnesotto, «L’Emigrato». Mensile di emigrazione e immigrazione in Italia e in Europa (1903-2009) / «L’Emigrato»: a monthly on emigration and immigration in Italy and Europe (1903-2009), pp. 714-719

«L’Emigrato» is the only Italian magazine that treats exclusively the issue of migration. It was founded by the bishop of Piacenza Mons. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, and it has been edited by the Scalabrinian Missionaries (missionaries for migrants). Since its beginnings in 1903 the magazine has covered Italian emigration abroad and now it stands out for its work of information, documentation and analysis of the theme of immigration in Italy and in Europe. The history and the events of more than a century of Italian emigration are an important perspective to understand and analyze the new migrations today, to inform, to educate, to propose, to provoke and to disclose the positive side of the experience of migration.

Marcelino Irianni, Como barcos en el horizonte. Momentos en la vida de algunos trabajadores vascos en la Argentina durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX / Like ships on the horizon. Moments of the life of some Basque workers in Argentina during the second half of the 19th century, pp. 720-737

The horizons that opened up before the immigrant upon reaching the American soil during the 19th century were apparently limitless. In this context we will attempt to recall the experience of people of Basque origin who settled in three locations within the interior of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in two different time periods: 1869 and 1895. The census documents corresponding to the first two national censuses offer source material that is limited, but essential for this task. Apparently they only allow us to identify the moments of departure and arrival, but through them we can infer, though with a certain amount of caution, some of the achievements accomplished and the different paths these immigrants travelled.

Edoardo Bazzaco, Politiche migratorie nella «fortezza Europa». Il governo spagnolo tra l’esternalizzazione delle frontiere e l’apartheid giuridico / Migration politics in «Fortress Europe». The Spanish government between the externalization of borders and juridical apartheid, pp. 738-755

The approach to the regulation of migratory flows proposed by the European Union and the governments of the member states – characterized by EU borders externalisation, reduction of regular entrance mechanisms and struggle against irregular migration – turns out as incomplete and unilateral as well as insufficient and wrong. Borders control at any cost has led to the abandonment of criteria of transparency, legality and humanity of measures put into action in favour of a supposed efficacy, and also to the violation of migrants’ human rights. In this context during the last legislature Spain has further strengthened its immigration control policies therefore worsening the situation of juridical apartheid and violation of the socio-economic rights that are victimizing the migrants.