Bathtub Madonnas as Media in an Italian American Neighborhood in Transition: Migration, Gentrification, and Meaningful Properties

Abstract

Based on historical research, visual analysis, photographic documentation, and 31 interviews, this article examines Madonna yard shrines constructed by Italian Americans in the 20th century as vernacular media and considers their role in knowledge production, identity representation, and the transmission of history. It discusses the historic meanings and contexts of these shrines, including their emergence during a time of anti-Italian bigotry, while examining their evolving significance within the changing cultural and socioeconomic contexts of globalization. While previous research on religious yard statuary has analyzed them as expressions of faith and cultural identity within homogeneous communities, this article explores their meanings in a neighborhood that is rapidly changing due to new migration, gentrification, and transformations in the urban real estate market.