Narrating Migration Politics in Veneto, Northern Italy

Abstract

Abstract:Once a country of emigrants, Italy has become a receiver of migrants. These reverse migratory flows have triggered strong reactions by Italians, such as nativist discourses about national culture and identity and the aggressive, exclusionary, anti-immigration politics promoted by the Lega Nord (Northern League) political party. This article explores how Veneto ordinary speakers’ political narratives are sometimes performed in ways that totally or partially exclude certain groups, such as migrants, while creating collective and intimate spaces for speakers living in Veneto, northern Italy. In their stories, both storytellers and audience members participate in the coconstruction of their social, political, and cultural identities in interaction while their storytelling event unfolds.