The Formation of Italian-American Diasporic Space: An Account of the Emergence of An Italian-American Community in Philadelphia

Abstract

In this paper, the author seeks to outline and theorize the emergence and formation of a diasporic Italian American identity. The researcher focuses on historical concerns as well as contemporary dynamics but is principally interested in the creation of an identity that is sustained even today while being internally diverse and continually subject to change. The author will illustrate this, concerning the Italian-American community in Philadelphia. The paper will be concluded with how a diasporic space is formed and how it mutually interacts with the formation of a diasporic identity. Moreover, the paper will explain how the process of formation of collective identification, or nationality, is imagined and re-imagined in an Italian-American community in South Philadelphia.