Italian Communities Research Articles

Eneolithic subsistence economy in Central Italy: first dietary reconstructions through stable isotopes

The paper aims to point out the subsistence in Eneolithic Central Italian communities by Stable Isotope Analysis. This period marked a tipping point in the food strategies because it was characterized by economic changes and several technological improvements leading to enhance land exploitation and livestock breeding. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis has been used to analyze the food consumption of 54 people belonging to 5 Eneolithic communities scattered throughout Central Italy, where no data have yet been published. The estimation of the main protein intake has been achieved in order to quantify the differences among these communities. The results are consistent with a diet mainly based on terrestrial resources, with no exclusive marine sources consumption, although their occasional usage cannot be ruled out, especially for selected funerary contexts. The data suggest an overall subsistence based on greater local resource procurement, supported by regional productivity maximization. A roughly homogeneous landscape could be outlined in Tuscany and Marche communities witnessing a shared diet preference that could be modified by local preferences. The fully developed trade routes between the two sides of the Apennines could address the overall dietary homogeneity of the studied communities, especially between Fontenoce di Recanati and the southern Tuscan human groups such as Grotta del Fontino and Buca di Spaccasasso, with lesser influence for Le Lellere and Podere Cucule that seem to suggest a more locally based subsistence, even though the funerary affinities do not match this overall diet homogeneity.

Sympathy with the Allies? Abusive Magistrates and Political Discourse in Republican Rome

Over the course of the 2nd century b.c.e., relations between Rome and her Italian allies increasingly deteriorated. Amongst the principal causes of allied dissatisfaction, historians regularly cite Roman magistrates’ abusive behaviour towards Italian communities. The key ancient source of information on this subject is the fragment of a single speech by C. Gracchus (ap. Gell. NA 10.3.2–5), delivered to a Roman political assembly in support of allied enfranchisement, in addition to two passages in Livy’s History for the year 173 b.c.e. (42.1.6–12; 42.3). I offer a novel, closely contextualised reading of this evidence. My discussion culminates in the argument that, whilst sometimes representing genuinely pro-allied sentiments, episodes of abuse by Roman magistrates were primarily important as effective rhetorical topoi in the polital discourse of the 2nd century b.c.e. Here, they enjoyed paradigmatic currency in an increasingly competitive and adversarial political climate. From a methodological point of view, this article assigns a significant role to contextual analysis in the use of literary and oratorical fragments in the study of ancient history.

Del Guadalquivir al Nilo : el testamento de Andrea de Razi, 1477, y la comunidad veneciana de Sevilla a finales del siglo XV.

Among the Italian merchant communities settled in the Crown of Castile Venetiansare the least known. It seems clear that in the last decades of the 15thcenturythey were only a few acting from Seville. To approach this group, scholars have mainlystudied the information held in Castilian archives –notarial deeds, royal and municipaldocuments–which are limited both in number and chronology. The discoveryof the testament of Andrea de Razi (1477), which we publish and study for the firsttime, sheds new light on the reality of the Venetian Nation in the Iberian Peninsulaand allows to enlarge our knowledge of the mercantile network and the commercialstrategies developed. At the same time, it reveals more solid connections of Sevillewith the Eastern Mediterranean, related to the exports of oil (Venice), and antimonysulphate (Alexandria).

Mercantile and Religious Mobility between Byzantines, Latins and Muslims, 1200-1500: On the Theory and Practice of Social Networks

This paper combines documentary evidence with concepts and tools of historical network science and social theory in order to explore phenomena of (especially) mercantile mobility and religious conversion in the late medieval Byzantine world. The intensification of commercial exchange and the multiplication of contact zones between ethnic and religious identities in the 13th to 15th centuries, both due to the growth of the activity of Italian merchant communities as well as due to the Mongol expansion across entire Asia, facilitated the change of places of residence and/or of religious confession for elite as well as non-elite members of these societies. With the help of network analytical and sociological concepts, potential underlying mechanisms such as the »social infrastructure« for these phenomena are described. In general, the last centuries of the relationship between Byzantium and the West saw the intensification of processes of individual and community-wide religious change, which equally shaped the following early modern period of Mediterranean history.

The Expulsion of the Italian Community of Greece and the Politics of Resettlement, 1944–52

At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a rapid development of Italian communities in Greece, with their members being regarded as integral parts of local societies, especially in the Ionian Islands and the Peloponnese. This changed after the fascist Italian attack against Greece in October 1940 and the subsequent Italian occupation. Members of the Italian community were deemed as de facto enemies, with the Greek authorities deciding to immediately expel them after Greece's liberation. The removal policy, however, would also be extended to the Italians of the Dodecanese after the islands were ceded in 1947. This article will document the Italians' expulsion from Greece after the end of the Second World War by examining the different ways in which mainly the Greek state, but also the authorities in Italy and the Great Allies, handled the Italian community's fate in the unfolding Cold War. At the same time, it will also explore the policy followed and the incentives that led Athens to accept the resettlement of a number of expelled Italians in Greece in 1949.

Italiani in Belgio: l'emigrazione all'estero attraverso le generazioni

The increased number of Italians who moved abroad registered in the last years, but also the global economical crisis started in 2008 with its side effects, including the migratory phenomenon, contributed to the return to the idea of Italy as a country of emigration. However, studies focusing on recent Italian emigration are still uneven and this issue remains an almost intact field of study. This article fo-cused on the Italian emigration in Belgium would contribute to the study of this phenomenon, with an intergenerational reading in order to investigate part of the existing relationships between the different generations of migrants inside the Ital-ian communities abroad. Thanks the analysis of the interviews with Italians who are living in Belgium, it was possible to investigate the evolution of the Italian community of this country in a comparison between past and recent emigration in order to better understand the most recent migratory phenomenon.

Primo Bartolini and the “Eye-talians” of Nashville: Becoming American in the Athens of the South

This essay describes how the Italians who settled in Nashville between the end of the nineteenth century and before the outburst of the First World War favoured first and foremost their occupational mobility thus prioritizing their integration in the economic fabric of a thriving city. Initially, they kept their cultural heritage alive but aimed to gain solid knowledge of the English language and American customs in order to apply for American citizenship as soon as possible, thus avoiding the severe discrimination endured by other Italian communities in southern states. Among the Italians of Nashville, Primo Bartolini stands out as a unique example of successful cultural and social hybridization and of the making of Italian American identity in Nashville and the South. Bartolini moved to Music City in 1908, after a short experience as a teacher in Indiana, and he was the first non-native of Tennessee to be drafted in 1917 to serve for his adoptive country during the First World War. A poet and a scholar, he wrote more than 300 poems on nostalgia, love, and patriotism. In these unpublished works, Bartolini shows how his identity progressively became Americanized: his writing style changed over time while still maintaining certain prosodic elements proper to his Italian culture and education. Bartolini’s experience, along with those of his compatriot who found their new home in Nashville, also confirms the integrating effect that the Great War had on Italians. Indeed, in the United States, a blend of old loyalties and the strong desire for acceptance and recognition drew the entire community into the public life of their adopted cities.

Le tourisme culinaire, la plus récente récolte des fermes et pâturages du sud de l'Italie: éliminant l'amertume de cette nouvelle économie prometteuse

Food tourism offers important opportunities for southern Italian communities struggling with high unemployment and the erosion of food traditions. These foodways are at once threatened in a modern reality and desirable to tourists looking to connect with local food and its producers as part of an “authentic” travel experience. For this new economy to be sustainable, both economically and culturally in southern Italy, there are lessons to be learned from Tuscany’s embrace of agriculturally-based tourism, where the power of tourism has crafted romantic narratives of the Mediterranean Diet and La Dolce Vita that are often more meaningful to the paying customer than rural residents. Data collected in the regions of Puglia and Campania since 2014 are presented here to explore how best to validate food traditions through tourism. Examples of food and heritage tourism, including lemon garden tours, the historic role of nuns in pastry making, and shepherding traditions of the Murgia Plateau, highlight the potential benefits and vulnerabilities of tourism-based revitalization initiatives.

‘Terra Straniera’: migration and transnationalism in Italy, Canada and Argentina

This article examines the post-war migration experiences of Italian Campani to Argentina and Canada. It employs oral testimonies as well as written sources from three different countries to reflect upon the concept of transnationalism as a useful theoretical tool, and to reflect upon its use in understanding the development of ethnic identity. While observing the transnational space of Italian communities in the Americas, the article seeks to understand the ways in which transnationalism took hold in everyday life, exploring its presence in the ways in which Campani used language, food and music to negotiate their own ethnic identities.

Rethinking curriculum as imagined childhoods

This paper proposes a reconceptualization of an early childhood curriculum as an imagined childhood such that children’s early childhood education is linked to, rather than separated from, families and communities. Drawing on research by psychological anthropologists in cultures as diverse as Italy, Norway, China and Japan, the concept of cultural models is used to explain cultural differences in parenting and early childhood education. Globalization consequences, including changing national goals, dramatic population shifts, and research on immigrant parenting are used to highlight the possibilities of cultural change. The sort of change envisioned here requires ongoing intentional and inclusive deliberations involving teachers, families and community members who imagine and negotiate better ways to care for and educate their young children. Examples from the municipal services of Reggio Emilia and other Italian communities are used to highlight the array of possibilities available when adult relationships are prioritized along with those among children. Examples of recent research by Turkish scholars is used to highlight the possibilities of change and collaboration in Turkey.

Improving energy sustainability for public buildings in Italian mountain communities

The objective of this work is to analyze and then optimize thermal energy consumptions of public buildings located within the mountain community of Lanzo, Ceronda and Casternone Valleys. Some measures have been proposed to reduce energy consumption and consequently the economic cost for energy production, as well as the harmful GHG emissions in the atmosphere.Initially, a study of the mountain territory has been carried out, because of its vast extension and climatic differences. Defined the communities and the buildings under investigation, energy dependant data were collected for the analysis of energy consumption monitoring: consumption data of three heating seasons, geometric buildings characteristics, type of opaque and transparent envelope, heating systems information with boiler performance and climatic data.Afterward, five buildings with critical energy performances were selected; for each of these buildings, different retrofit interventions have been hypothesized to reduce the energy consumption, with thermal insulation of vertical or horizontal structures, new windows or boiler substitution. The cost-optimal technique was used to choose the interventions that offered higher energy performance at lower costs; then a retrofit scenario has been planned with a specific financial investment.Finally, results showed possible future developments and scenarios related to buildings energy efficiency with regard to the topic of biomass exploitation and its local availability in this area. In this context, the biomass energy resource could to create a virtuous environmental, economic and social process, favouring also local development.

Withdrawal from Empire

English post-war immigration has a turbulent history. Surprisingly, directly after the war, immigrants were mostly welcomed into English society with Polish, Irish, and Italian communities forming across the country. This began to change by the 1950s after the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush into Tilbury docks saw the first immigrants from outside Europe taking up their rights as a British Citizens to emigrate to the centre of the Commonwealth. “White Riots” broke out across the country in the latter half of the 1950s as traditionally white English communities began to fear what they saw as a “disrupting coloured invasion of their identity”. This caused a political backlash and saw the pushing through of the Race Relations Acts of 1965, 1968, and 1976 through parliament which outlawed various racial prejudices and discrimination on grounds of colour, race, ethnicity or national origins. Ultimately, the friction caused by increased immigration reached a crashing crescendo in 1968 with Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech which was met with vocal support up and down the country. Today, immigration, and the political and social connotations that come with it, are an accepted part of societal life. This article aims to show how and why this came about and the disruption this caused for English society; tracing the timeline of immigration from directly after the Second World War to the early 1970s.

Emerging topics and practical aspects for an appropriate use of amyloid PET in the current Italian context.

In May 2017 some representatives of the Italian nuclear medicine and neurological communities spontaneously met to discuss the issues emerged during the first two years of routine application of amyloid PET with fluorinated radiopharmaceuticals in the real world. The limitations of a binary classification of scans, the possibility to obtain early images as a surrogate marker of regional cerebral bloos flow, the need for (semi-)quantification and, thus, the opportunity of ranking brain amyloidosis, the correlation with Aβ42 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid, the occurrence and biological meaning of uncertain/boderline scans, the issue of incidental amyloidosis, the technical pittfalls leading to false negative/positive results, the position of the tool in the diagnostic flow-chart in the national reality, are the main topics that have been discussed. Also, a card to justify the examination to be filled by the dementia specialist and a card for the nuclear medicine physician to report the exam in detail have been approved and are available in the web, which should facilitate the creation of a national register, as previewed by the 2015 intersocietal recommendation on the use of amyloid PET in Italy. The content of this discussion could stimulate both public institutions and companies to support further research on these topics.

La fascistizzazione dei migranti italiani in Francia e Brasile: una comparazione

The aim of this paper is to compare the process of fascist penetration in the Italian immigrant communities of Brazil and France. Through the fasci italiani all’estero and the Organizzazione Nazionale Dopolavoro’s sections, the fascistization of newspapers and associations and the construction of a system of alliances, the fascism obtained a good success in both France and Brazil. The comparative method helps to better understand the fascist ability to spread abroad propaganda and to gain the consensus of the masses of Italian immigrants.

Bioarchaeological approach to the study of the medieval population of Santa Severa (Rome, 7th–15th centuries)

The present research utilizes archaeology and physical anthropology to reconstruct the demography, occupational stress markers and health conditions of individuals that lived during the medieval era in Santa Severa (Rome, Italy). The cemetery recovered during the restoration of the Castle of Santa Severa dates back to 1232±40BP (680–890cal.)–1004±30BP (970–1060cal.), as regards Casa del Nostromo, and to 883±40BP (1040–1220cal.)–531±35BP (1380–1450cal.) for Piazza della Rocca, according to 14C analyses on four bone samples corresponding to the most superior and inferior stratigraphic levels.This range of dates ascribes the burials to the transition period between the Early and Late medieval era.The goal of the present research was to analyze one of the largest Italian medieval communities using a morphological approach to reconstruct its osteobiography.The complex comprised a total of 455 individuals: 118 juveniles and 256 adults (M:F=1.4). All age classes were represented, meaning that, even if the area were not completely excavated, the analyzed series could be considered representative of the population from which it comes.The sample exhibited a high degree of biomechanical stress related to daily tasks, mainly affecting the upper limbs and involving both the shoulder and the pelvic girdle. Several pathologies were detected; the most common appeared to be degenerative and infectious diseases, though some cases of congenital disorders could also be observed. Regarding the dental pathology, low frequencies of caries, abscesses and antemortem tooth loss were detected in spite of a high prevalence of dental calculus. These results seem to suggest that subsistence was based on both agriculture and farming.

The expropriation of goodwill and migrant labour in the transition to Australian football's A-League

This article explores ethical and financial issues in connection with the cancellation of Australia's National Soccer League (NSL), at the end of the 2003-2004 season, and its replacement with the corporatist A-League competition which excluded the ethnic clubs which had made up the bulk of the NSL. These ethnic clubs had been formed by and primarily served the needs and interests of the various Croatian, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Macedonian, and Yugoslav ethnic communities located in Australia's major cities. Many commentators were of the opinion that one of the aims of the A-League and its 'ground-zero' or 'scorched-earth' ideology was to institute exclusion of the ethnic clubs that had formed the backbone of the NSL for 30 years. We conclude that fans and volunteer labour forces of the ethnic clubs have been alienated, in the Marxist sense, from the A-League; the A-League clubs; and the Football Federation of Australia (FFA).

Embodied Voice and the Body Politic: The Dialoghi of Leone de’ Sommi

Author(s): Helou, Ariane | Abstract: Leone de’ Sommi’s sixteenth-century treatise on stagecraft, Quattro dialoghi in materia di rappresentazioni sceniche, defines drama as a mirror of human life and society. For Leone, dramatic form is patterned on the human body, its meaning conveyed through gesture and vocalization. While Leone’s theatrical worldview seems to embrace civic unity, I argue that it also reflects the anxieties of a period of aggressive marginalization of Italian Jewish communities due to the rise of ghettos. The Dialoghi develop a counter-argument to the dominant humanist (Christian) narrative of theater’s origins and de-center the Aristotelian model, citing Hebrew scripture as drama’s highest ancient authority. Moreover, de’ Sommi’s prescriptions for actors’ uses of voice and body in performance dramatize the politically and socially charged relationships of Mantua’s Jewish artists and artisans to the Gonzaga court. Through his dramatic theory, Leone de’ Sommi enacts a challenge to the structural and ideological confines of the ghetto.

Diversity within Italian Cheesemaking Brine-Associated Bacterial Communities Evidenced by Massive Parallel 16S rRNA Gene Tag Sequencing.

This study explored the bacterial diversity of brines used for cheesemaking in Italy, as well as their physicochemical characteristics. In this context, 19 brines used to salt soft, semi-hard, and hard Italian cheeses were collected in 14 commercial cheese plants and analyzed using a culture-independent amplicon sequencing approach in order to describe their bacterial microbiota. Large NaCl concentration variations were observed among the selected brines, with hard cheese brines exhibiting the highest values. Acidity values showed a great variability too, probably in relation to the brine use prior to sampling. Despite their high salt content, brine microbial loads ranged from 2.11 to 6.51 log CFU/mL for the total mesophilic count. Microbial community profiling assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that these ecosystems were dominated by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, followed by Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Cheese type and brine salinity seem to be the main parameters accountable for brine microbial diversity. On the contrary, brine pH, acidity and protein concentration, correlated to cheese brine age, did not have any selective effect on the microbiota composition. Nine major genera were present in all analyzed brines, indicating that they might compose the core microbiome of cheese brines. Staphylococcus aureus was occasionally detected in brines using selective culture media. Interestingly, bacterial genera associated with a functional and technological use were frequently detected. Indeed Bifidobacteriaceae, which might be valuable probiotic candidates, and specific microbial genera such as Tetragenococcus, Corynebacterium and non-pathogenic Staphylococcus, which can contribute to sensorial properties of ripened cheeses, were widespread within brines.

Advance care planning, culture and religion: an environmental scan of Australian-based online resources

Objectives Culture and religion are important in advance care planning (ACP), yet it is not well understood how this is represented in ACP online resources. The aim of the present study was to identify the availability of Australian-based ACP websites and online informational booklets containing cultural and religious information. Methods An environmental scanning framework was used with a Google search conducted from 30 June 2015 to 5 July 2015. Eligible Australian-based ACP websites and online informational booklets were reviewed by two analysts (APS & PM) for information pertaining to at least one culture or religion. Common characteristics were agreed upon and tabulated with narrative description. Results Seven Australian-based ACP websites were identified with varying degrees of cultural and religious information. Seven Australian-based ACP informational booklets were identified addressing culture or religion, namely of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (n=5), Sikh (n=1) and Italian (n=1) communities. Twenty-one other online resources with cultural and religious information were identified, developed within the context of health and palliative care. Conclusions There is no comprehensive Australian-based ACP website or informational booklet supporting ACP across several cultural and religious contexts. Considering Australia's multicultural and multifaith population, such a resource may be beneficial in increasing awareness and uptake of ACP. What is known about the topic? Health professionals and consumers frequently use the Internet to find information. Non-regulation has resulted in the proliferation of ACP online resources (i.e. ACP websites and online informational booklets). Although this has contributed to raising awareness of ACP, the availability of Australian-based ACP online resources with cultural and religious information is not well known. What does this paper add? This paper is the first to use an environmental scanning methodology to identify Australian-based ACP websites and online informational booklets with cultural and religious information. What are the implications for practitioners? The results of this environmental scan present the availability of Australian-based ACP websites and online informational booklets containing cultural and religious information. A thorough understanding may assist in identifying gaps for future ACP project planning and policy objectives, consistent with meeting cultural and religious needs. This may be beneficial for health professionals, consumers, health associations, organisations and government policy makers concerned with ACP.

Factors Predicting Patient's Allocation to Short- and Long-Term Therapeutic Community Treatments in the Italian VOECT Cohort Study.

The Evaluation of Therapeutic Community Treatments and Outcomes (VOECT) study was conducted in 131 Italian Therapeutic Communities (TCs) in 2008/2009. All of the patients entering residential treatment for drug or alcohol dependence were invited to participate. Data regarding patient socio-demographic characteristics, drug and alcohol consumption, health and psychopathological status, prior treatments and outcomes, and their motivation score were collected upon enrolment onto the study. The aim of this work was to identify the factors associated with allocation to short- versus long-term programmes in drug or alcohol dependent patients entering TCs in Italy. Of the 2470 patients included in the analysis, 30.8% were allocated to short-term treatment and 69.2% to long-term treatment. Several factors were significantly associated with the allocation to short- and long-term treatments: unstable living conditions; entering the TC when not detoxified; a high Symptom Checklist-90 somatization score; prior cessation episodes; previous in-patient detoxification treatments; psychosocial treatments; entering the TC by oneself; and a low motivation score.