LA FAMIGLIA the Ideology of Sicilian Family Networks
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
LA FAMIGLIA The Ideology of Sicilian Family Networks Eva Carlestål LA FAMIGLIA The Ideology of Sicilian Family Networks Dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Cultural Anthropology presented at Uppsala University in 2005 ABSTRACT Carlestål, Eva, 2005. La Famiglia – The Ideology of Sicilian Family Networks. DICA, Disser- tations in Cultural Anthropology, 3. 227 pp. Uppsala. ISSN 1651-7601, ISBN 91-506-1791-5. Anthropological data from fieldwork carried out among a fishing population in western Sicily show how related matrifocal nuclear families are tightly knit within larger, male-headed networks. The mother focus at the basic family level is thereby balanced and the system indi- cates that the mother-child unit does not function effectively on its own, as has often been argued for this type of family structure. As a result of dominating moral values which strong- ly emphasise the uniqueness of family and kin, people are brought up to depend heavily upon and to be loyal to their kin networks, to see themselves primarily as parts of these social units and less so as independent clearly bounded individuals, and to distinctly separate family members from non-family members. This dependence is further strengthened by matri- and/or patrivicinity being the dominant form of locality, by the traditional naming system as well as a continual use of kin terms, and by related people socialising and collaborating closely. The social and physical boundaries thus created around the family networks are further streng- thened by local architecture that symbolically communicates the closed family unit; by the woman, who embodies her family as well as their house, having her outdoor movements restric- ted in order to shield both herself and her family; by self-mastery when it comes to skilfully calculating one's actions and words as a means of controlling the impression one makes on others; and by local patriotism that separates one's co-villagers from foreigners. Hospitality, which brings inclusion and exclusion into focus, is shown to be a means of ritually incorpora- ting non-kin and thus containing the danger the stranger represents. The author aims to answer the question of whether the social and physical boundaries around the family network, together with the distrust towards non-family members referred to by the informants themselves, constitute a hindrance as regards collaboration with non-kin, or if collaboration beyond the family boundaries is possible and, if so, whether or not this has to lead to the family's losing its position. Key words: Sicily, anthropology, family, matrifocality, kinship © Eva Carlestål Distributor: Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology, Uppsala University Series editor: Hugh Beach Layout and cover: Eva-Marie Wadman Cover photo: Gloriana Ripa Illustration: Teresa Carlestål Printed in Sweden by Gotab, Stockholm 2005 ISSN 1651-7601 ISBN 91-506-1791-5 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . IX 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 La Famiglia – Synopsis . 2 Positioning My Study Regionally, Nationally, and Thematically . 5 Italian Anthropology . 10 Amoral Familism . 14 The Position of the Nuclear Family . 23 The Two Italies – An Everyday Symbolic Geography . 25 Map of Central Mazara del Vallo . 29 Getting Acquainted with the Local Setting . 30 The Fishing Population . 37 Method . 40 2. FAMILY IN THEORY AND IN PRACTICE . 47 Family Studies within Anthropology . 47 Historical Approaches . 47 The Developmental Cycle of the Domestic Group . 50 Matrifocality . 52 The Italian Family Systems . 56 Heterogeneity . 56 The Holy Family . 59 Family Networks . 62 Open Individuals but Closed Families . 66 Rights and Duties . 69 Summary . 75 3. DOMESTIC LIFE . 79 Rosalba and Vito’s Wedding . 79 The Purpose of Life . 82 Marriage and Dowry . 84 Dowries . 85 An Ordinary Day of a Housewife . 92 Commensality . 99 Family Relations and Upbringing . 105 La Mamma . 106 The White Widows . 106 The Dominating Male Ideology Versus Absent Husbands and Fathers . 109 How Family Values are Transmitted . 111 Summary . 115 4. THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE FAMILY . 117 Kinship Terms . 119 The Sicilian Kinship System . 119 Referring To and Addressing Relatives . 122 Names, Surnames, and Nicknames . 125 Personal Names . 125 Surnames . 127 Nicknames . 128 Neolocality but Matri- or Patrivicinity . 129 You Do Not Share Blood with Your Friend . 133 The Family as a Metaphor for Good Social Relations . 136 Summary . 138 5. SOCIAL AND SPATIAL BOUNDARIES SURROUNDING THE FAMILY . 141 Mind Your Own Business! . 141 Historical Explanation of Distrust . 145 The Honour and Shame Complex . 147 The House and Social Control . 149 Gender and Behaviour in Public . 152 The Native Village as Focus of Belonging and Identification . 159 Local Patriotism . 160 A Mask Called Bella Figura . 165 Hospitality . 170 ‘We Are Very Hospitable’ . 171 Summary . 176 6. COLLABORATION BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF LA FAMIGLIA . 179 Two Examples of Successful Collaboration . 186 Villagers Rebuilding Santa Ninfa . 187 Family Business . 188 Conclusions . 190 Historical Appendix: THE NEVER-CEASING CONQUEST OF SICILY . 197 Unification Without Unity – The Latest Masters . 203 REFERENCES . 207 To Teresa ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing this thesis was possible only thanks to all the people who in various ways and at various stages helped me carry out my work. Though I am indeb- ted to all of you, my thoughts go first of all to my informants in Sicily, who generously opened their homes to me and patiently endured my persistent questions. Though, in fulfilment of my promises of confidentiality, they will have to be unnamed, they became part of my life and my heart, and so they will always remain. It is my sincere hope that they will recognise and possi- bly also appreciate my understanding of their lives as presented in this work. At the Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology, Uppsala University, Sweden, I am above all grateful to my supervisors Anita Jacobson- Widding and Jan Ovesen, who have guided me through the process of writing this thesis: Anita helped me to take off as a new doctoral student and upon her retirement Jan took over the supervisory responsibility. I am grateful to both of them for sharing with me their deep anthropological insights. I am also indebted to all my other colleagues at the department for reading various parts of my manuscript during the progress of this work. Anna-Maria Tapaninen and Annika Rabo, opponents at my licentiate semi- nar and final seminar respectively, substantially contributed to the develop- ment of my work and I would like to take this opportunity to express my grati- tude to them. In Sicily, I also want to thank my dear friends Esmeralda Ripa and the family of Antonino Cusumano. They became my families while in field and so I hope and trust they will remain. IX I also spent an unforgettable half-year in Rome, while organising my Sicilian field material. My deep thanks go to Stiftelsen Svenska Institutet i Rom under the guidance of Barbro Santillo Frizell, where I was offered lodging and stimu- lating discussions with researchers from various disciplines within the huma- nistic field, all with the Italian culture as our interest in common. In Rome I also became acquainted with the anthropological department at La Sapienza, Università degli Studi di Roma and Professors Maria Minicuci and Alberto Sobrero. My thesis greatly benefited from their generously letting me take part in lectures and allowing me the use of their library. In the Eternal City I furthermore appreciated very much the seminars at the Istituto Meridionale di Storia e Scienze Sociali (IMES), and Doctor Cristina Freguja at Istituto Nazionale di Statistica also gave me irreplaceable help by supply- ing me with statistics for the Italian society as well as the Italian family. The finalising work has taken place parallel to my taking on a new position at the research school guided by Jan Anward within the Department of Language and Culture at Linköping University, Sweden. The encouragement and great warmth I have received from my new colleagues have greatly helped me through the last phase leading up to my.