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Tuesday, April 25 at 5:00 p.m. in HUMN 125
Reception to follow on 1st floor in Eaton Humanities

What does it mean to be an Italian abroad today?

This photographic essay invites us to explore the common background elements leading Italians to migrate, but also the specific characteristics of migration contexts across time and space from an historical and social perspective. The project collects the life stories of Italian communities and individuals belonging to different generations. The first one is represented by the “economic” migrants departed in the early and mid-20th century. The second typology involved are descendants of Italians who are born and grew up away from Italy. The last category is composed of the new young generations of people leaving Italy during the these last fifteen years. This approach supports a reflection about the idea of Italianità perhaps redundant and overdetermined by stereotypes. The completed project finds its expression through a series of portraits of Italians abroad and the personal objects that tell their story of family and connections with Italian culture.

The research is part of the AHRC-funded project 'Transnationalizing Modern Languages: Mobility Identity and Translation in Modern Italian Cultures' involving researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Cardiff, Queen Margaret, St Andrews, and Warwick.

 Mario Badagliacca is a documentary photographer and photojournalist born in Palermo in 1980. He graduated in Political Sciences and International Relations at the University of Naples 'L'Orientale'. During his studies in Naples he worked with several non-profit organizations. He graduated in photo reportage and photojournalism in
Rome, where he is based. Focused on local realities and social issues, he is currently working on human rights violations and in long-term projects about the cultural aspects of migrations. He works with several researchers and universities (such as St. Andrews University, University of Oxford, San Diego State University) and his photographs have been published in national and international magazines and newspapers.