Immigration is a significant part of Italian history that has brought crucial changes to the traditional way of life set. Researchers note that this phenomenon resulted from increasing social and financial problems typical for Italia of that time and lasted from 1870 until the end of the 1980-s (Gabaccis 82). Therefore, several generations of Italians passed through living abroad and tried to improve their lives outside the motherland or save money and come back.
As a period of immigration, the decade around the turn of century is especially interesting to analyze. This period is marked with the quick development of industries and society that accompanied the changes caused by immigration. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experience of people from Italia who chose to emigrate in the decade around the turn of century.
The capitalist society of the United States, Argentina, France, and other countries where immigrants decided to stay could not give them an immediate improvement of living conditions and economic prosperity. According to Gabaccis, “migrants from Italy crowded into two- and three-room apartments in six-story tenements” (Gabaccis 99). Having relatively private dwellings was rare among such relocated families (Gabaccis 99).
Besides, many men of the diaspora were seasonally unemployed and those who had a permanent job earned too low wages to support secure and comfortable family life. The problem was especially acute for unskilled immigrants for at home, their main occupation was agriculture or crafts (Gabaccis 99). Hence, it was not easy for them to get used to the new rules of the rapidly changing industrial society.
Financial difficulties and high living costs made women and children work, too, thus transforming the traditional practice and the relationships between family members. Speaking about women, wives chose to work outside the home, for example, to sell goods in small shops owned by their fellow Italians. However, the majority of female earners wanted to combine their new responsibilities with the traditional household chores (Gabaccis 101).
For this reason, they did some industrial work at home. This included sewing pants, cracking nuts or making artificial flowers. Women also served as managers for their families, thus, they got more power and became less dependent on their husbands. As for children, they also acquired more freedom, and parents had to face the challenge of the growing self-determination of the younger generation (Gabaccis 104). Being independent workers from an early age, such children wanted to make their own choices rather than follow the adults’ rules in important issues like deciding about a would-be husband and wife.
Despite the fact that the traditional roles and relationships between close relatives saw crucial transformations due to the immigration experience, family values have not lost its importance to emigrates from Italia. They all did their best in order to achieve what can be described as family security. This is a complex concept that includes financial status, relationships with friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, and self-respect (Gabaccis 82).
Italian migrants wanted their families to be prosperous in this regard. For adults, the main part of the phenomenon of security was the sense of freedom from the Italian elite (Gabaccis 100). Living in a diaspora gave them an opportunity to restore self-estimate, break the class hierarchy, and feel like civilized human beings (Gabaccis 100). Children saw the ability to enjoy consuming as a major aspect of security (Gabaccis 100). As soon as relative economic prosperity was achieved, girls could afford to buy tailor-made dresses and shoes, and boys found pleasure in doing sports and attending dancehalls.
Touching the topic of Italian migrants’ interaction with each other, it should be mentioned that a new model of relationships appeared due to the changing life conditions. This type encompassed the way renters and owners of rooms communicated for many families rented out rooms in their flats in order to get additional income (Gabaccis 102). In most cases, such renters were young people who had been living outside Italia for a relatively short period of time.
That is why the owner’s families helped them to socialize and get used to life in another country completely. Relationships of this kind were generated by the situation Italian immigrants found themselves in and had no counterparts in Italy. However, the social life in this country also changed immensely because circa half immigrants having saved some money came back to their motherland and used their experience abroad while settling down there again (Gabaccis 94). They showed less respect for the elite and more independence on the older generation; some returners managed to improve their social status by buying larger houses. New dwellings were arranged according to American standards with more value put on privacy.
To sum up, Italian men and women as immigrants around the turn of century experienced hardships of their way to a happier and wealthier life. Many of them failed to get used to life in another country and returned home bringing alternations to the traditional Italian way of life. Those who stayed and managed to become relatively prosperous could feel free of the class hierarchy and enjoy consumerism. Generally, the phenomenon of immigration changed family relationships and traditions giving way to new social models.
References
Gabaccis, Donna R. Italy’s Many Diasporas. University of Washington Press, 2000.