How the Second World War and Its Aftermath Shaped a Sense of Identity Amongst Older Italians in the North East of England

Abstract

Italian migrants’ experiences of hostility in the UK have remained on the margins of history. However, several older members of Italian communities live with memories of trauma and injustice experienced during their youth or in the early years of migration. Through an ethnographic approach, this study explores the impact of the Second World War amongst members of the Italian community living in the North East of England: those who lived during the war, as well as those who migrated during the following decades (1950–1970). The interpretations of historical events transmitted both down and across generations of migrants reveal how this group of people forged a process of self-definition and everyday construction of identity and belonging. This paper sheds light on how the trope of ‘enemy aliens’ has been absorbed and reiterated over time, by bringing to view the historical and political nature of identification.

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