Francesco Ricatti. Italians in Australia: History, Memory, Identity. Palgrave Studies in Migration History. London: Palgrave Pivot, 2018. 147 pp. $54.99, cloth, ISBN 978-3-319-78872-2. Reviewed by John J. Kinder Published on H-Italy (April, 2019) Commissioned by Matteo Pretelli (University of Naples "L'Orientale") Francesco Ricatti’s slim volume on Italians in paradigms with an Italian perspective.[3] Now Ri‐ Australia is a groundbreaking study that will catti has comprehensively mapped out new ways shape the future directions of research into Ital‐ of approaching the presence of Italians in Aus‐ ians and Italian language and culture in Australia tralia since 1788. Earlier scholarship is not denied for the next generation of scholars. The originality or contradicted so much as reconceptualized with of the volume derives not from original archival fresh horizons of thought and new paradigms of discoveries but from the theoretical approaches understanding. Ricatti brings to his subject and from the concep‐ Curiously, the book opens with a challenge to tual and historical context in which the Italian begin our thinking about “Italians in Australia” by presence in Australia is located. reassessing what migration means, frst, for the A decade ago, studies of Italian migration to country of origin: “Italian migration history is a Australia began to take seriously the new para‐ core aspect of Italy’s national history and is essen‐ digms emerging from migration studies in Europe tial to understanding Italy’s lack of a strong na‐ and North America. Earlier histories of Italians in tional identity, its complex presence in the wider Australia often followed a trend evident in the world, and many key features [the text says “fu‐ earliest Italian newspapers published in Australia, tures” but I read this as one of an unfortunate in amassing evidence to justify the presence of number of typos; “social rapture” (p. 10) is surely Italians in this member state of the British Em‐ “social rupture”!] of its fragile and contradictory pire/Commonwealth and to celebrate their relationship with modernity” (p. 1). This is the achievements in resisting discrimination to make first virtue of the book: to problematize Italy’s an important contribution to building the “new own understanding of migration in its history. No Australia.” longer can Italian historiography account for mi‐ Loretta Baldassar’s review of Gianfranco gration simply by “facing up” to the reality of Cresciani’s revised The Italians in Australia (2003) mass emigration, say after Unification, and to the had suggested a generational change in progress. conditions that produced it, or by embracing the [1] Then reviews of the feld by Susanna Iuliano new immigrations. The economic, cultural, and and Baldassar and Matteo Pretelli marked a clear linguistic contradictions that emerged in the vari‐ break in the historiography and hinted at new di‐ ous destinations of Italian emigration were al‐ rections.[2] In 2015 Matteo Sanfilippo set the new ready present in the home country. This emerges H-Net Reviews clearly in the discussion of racism and racial am‐ three poles of reference: migration is posited as a biguity in chapter 4 that moves nimbly back and constant in Italian history since at least the early forwards between the ambiguities of Italy’s own modern period; the internal imbalances within internal racial categories and the ambiguities of geographical areas of the modern Italian state are the new settler nation in Australia. argued by Ricatti to be the fruit of the “quasi-colo‐ The theoretical framework, “Mapping Com‐ nial nature of Italy’s unification” (p. 19); modern plexity: A Transcultural Approach,” is constructed Italian migration is most statistically relevant and in chapter 1 from a wide range of approaches. Six most complex during the period between 1870 theoretical frames are identified: intersectionality, and the late 1960s (Ricatti could have cited the decoloniality, the intensity of migrant lives, orien‐ symbolic year of 1973, which Ugo Ascoli identified tation (which connects embodiment and emotion‐ as the year in which Italy’s migratory balance be‐ al emplacement), the uncanny (or unhomely), and came positive for the frst time since Unification). transcultural memory. These lenses converge in [4] This chapter will be a convenient frst port of an axis centered on the prefixes “inter-” and call for students beginning research projects on “trans-,” especially “transnational” and “transcul‐ Italian migration to Australia. tural.” The transcultural dimension is the funda‐ The multifaceted model outlined in chapter 1 mental step in the book’s gaze on individuals, and the historical account of chapter 2 are then groups, cultures, and nations. The monolithic and combined in a series of studies of specific aspects static objects that defined the coordinates of early of the experience of Italians in Australia: “Work migration history dissolve in front of a gaze on re‐ and Socioeconomic Mobility” (chapter 3) and ality that acknowledges and embraces the com‐ “Racism and Racial Ambiguity in a Settler Colonial plexities and changing dimensions of each indi‐ Context” (chapter 4). The implications of how re‐ vidual life as it is lived in networks of relation‐ search into these areas will look when conducted ships with others, both in response to external in light of the stances outlined in the general theo‐ events and forces and through the agency of re‐ ry are worked out in detail. sponse, engagement, and adaptation to changing These chapters establish new ontological circumstances. claims and heuristic lenses. Chapter 3 reads the Chapter 2 provides a “Historical Outline” of economic history of migrants in Australia in Italian migration to Australia. In just eight pages terms of agency, especially in terms of women’s Ricatti condenses the essential statistical informa‐ work, inside and outside the family unit. It is ar‐ tion and the primary economic, social, and politi‐ gued strongly in chapter 4 that Italian migration cal forces driving migration policy in Australia as can no longer position itself comfortably outside it affected Italians. Note though that this historical the colonial–Indigenous pair. While Italians cer‐ summary is the second part of the chapter, pre‐ tainly endured considerable discrimination and ceded by an essay of similar length on the state of injustice based on racial hierarchies, they must the art of studies on “Italian mass migration.” This accept their own role as part of the colonial sys‐ is not historical background but rather paints the tem that committed great crimes against Indige‐ context within which the Australian narrative los‐ nous Australians. This new understanding of the es something of the “exceptional” character racial ambiguity of migrant groups is occurring present in some traditional accounts and begins also among other migrant groups. One recalls the to make sense as a part of the history of Italy as powerful statements about Irish migration made well as of Australia. Established scholarship is in‐ by Irish president Michael Higgins during his visit tegrated here with recent research to identify to Australia in 2017. 2 H-Net Reviews Chapters 5 and 6 proceed to examine what by the need for scholars of the past to contribute are almost case studies. Noteworthy in the analy‐ to changing social and political responses to mi‐ sis of “Family and Generational Negotiations” gration in present-day Australia. This slim volume (chapter 5) is the notion of agency, picked up from has already made its presence felt. A 2018 story in chapter 3, and applied to pluralistic forms of fami‐ the Guardian about the response to the shooting ly life. Particularly interesting are the remarks on of Melbourne cafe-owner Sisto Pellegrini drew marriage by proxy, read as an eloquent example heavily on Ricatti’s analyses.[5] of transculturality. Chapter 6 is titled rather The book is published in Palgrave’s new Stud‐ grandly “Transnational Ideologies and Transcul‐ ies in Migration History series and follows the for‐ tural Practices” and is less convincing, since in mat of volumes in the series. Each chapter is pre‐ trying to cover language, religion, politics, and sented as an autonomous unit, with its own DOI. ethnic media the brief sections of the chapter Bibliographical references appear at the end of (which the author acknowledges are summary at each chapter. best) give only a partial and sometimes superficial Notes account of the major research on each topic. [1]. Loretta Baldassar, “Transnational Times,” Ricatti’s book is courageous in applying to review of The Italians in Australia by Gianfranco Italian migration theories and paradigms that Cresciani, Australian Book Review, 257 (Decem‐ have not been applied before in such a compre‐ ber 2003/January 2004): 27. hensive and coherent way. The book is a frst step and there is much to be worked out and worked [2]. Susanna Iuliano and Loretta Baldassar, through. For example, settler colonialism is in‐ “Deprovincialising Italian Migration Studies: An voked, almost in passing, in early chapters but Overview of Australian and Canadian Research,” this approach, though suggestive as a general FULGOR: Flinders University Languages Group frame of reference, is so selective in its detail and Online Review 3, no. 3 (2008): 1-16; and Matteo application as to make its appearance in the book Pretelli, “Gli italiani in Australia: lo stato dei la‐ unhelpful and in need of much substantiation. On vori,” Studi Emigrazione 46, no. 176 (2009): certain subjects, the description falls back on 779-92. clichés that suggest an unspoken bias and rob the [3]. Matteo Sanfilippo, Nuovi problemi di sto‐ analysis of potential bite: the phrase “devout ria delle migrazioni italiane (Viterbo: Sette Città, Catholic” (p. 80) is one that is popular in the Aus‐ 2005). tralian press but one wonders what the adjective [4]. Ugo Ascoli, I movimenti migratori in Italia actually means and whether the phrase itself is (Bologna: Il Mulino, 1979), 57-60.