Friday 5 February 2010

Italians...Who are we?

It is quite common that once abroad one thinks more about one's own country developing a new vision, maybe different, of it.
Since i started travelling i've been thinking a lot about Italy and Italians, so that my awkward feeling of belonging/ un-belonging has been strengthened.
Identities are complex and multiple.
Most of the time, I am not proud to be Italian, but when it comes to cooking; at that point, i still feel that spark inside saying: "We are still the best".
Sometimes I also feel the desire to defend my country from insults, but, actually, i rarely have arguments to contrast my interlocutor's thesis. The worst and painful sensation comes when I directly see a typical negative national stereotype coming true right in front of me, and I feel completely helplessy.
I like to think at national identites as good to have a laugh while stereotyping people or to support a football team, but we all saw how they caused wars all over the world.
From the 1648, from the peace of Westphalia, we assumed and absorbed this Nation-State system as it was the only possible forma mentis that enables governments to rule a group of people. Do we really need this system? Will a new system be possible someday?
A fantastic analysis of the relation between
identity issue and nationalism is proposed in Imagining the Balkans by Maria Todorova. Definitely a wonderful historical and sociological description of the denigrated south/east-Europe.

Here instead, an interesting conversation about "Being Italian" between one of the best Italian journalists Corradio Augias and another Italian journalist Vittorio Zucconi (for years correspondent of Repubblica in the US) who got now the American citizenship. Zucconi presents his book Il caratteraccio that was borned from his teaching experience in the US, where
unfortunately, he had to break american students' fairily picture of Italy by telling the truth. The point of view of an Italian from outside the borders, rather, an americanized Italian.

Le storie

Part 1

Part 2


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