UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 12-2010 Composite of complexity: Manifestations of whiteness and class among Las Vegas Italian Americans Danielle Nicole Axt University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the American Studies Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Repository Citation Axt, Danielle Nicole, "Composite of complexity: Manifestations of whiteness and class among Las Vegas Italian Americans" (2010). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 674. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/1880720 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COMPOSITE OF COMPLEXITY: MANIFESTATIONS OF WHITENESS AND CLASS AMONG LAS VEGAS ITALIAN AMERICANS by Danielle Nicole Axt Associate of Arts and Sciences Pierce College, Puyallup, WA 2001 Bachelor of Arts Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA 2003 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Anthology Department of Anthropology College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2010 Copyright by Danielle Nicole Axt 2011 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the thesis prepared under our supervision by Danielle Nicole Axt entitled Composite of Complexity: Manifestations of Whiteness and Class among Las Vegas Italian Americans be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology Jiemin Bao, Committee Chair Heidi Swank, Committee Member Daniel Benyshek, Committee Member Anthony Ferri, Graduate Faculty Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College December 2010 ii ABSTRACT Composite of Complexity: Manifestations of Whiteness and Class among Las Vegas Italian Americans by Danielle Nicole Axt Dr. Jiemin Bao, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Anthropology University of Nevada, Las Vegas Conventional terminology and conventional boundaries, in regard to ethnicity, are no longer applicable to the ever shifting population of the United States. In specific, the various degrees of White ethnic identity does not easily transition into convenient all encompassing categories such as Caucasian or more simply, White. Whiteness studies have been at the forefront of this critique, most recently asserting that White ethnic identity is heavily influenced by context. However, although many studies are now recognizing the impact of multiple layers of White ethnic identity (along the lines of gender, locale, socioeconomic level etc.) many still neglect to identify a divide amongst White ethnic groups in terms of skin color and other physical attributes. Michel Foucault’s biopower construct establishes an intricate means for which to discern differences not only amongst, but within White ethnic groups, such as Italian Americans. I examine White ethnicity among Las Vegas Italian Americans to demonstrate that there are ways in which White ethnic groups differentiate themselves by physical attributes in relation to ethnicity (anatomo-politics) as well as how class differences are also marked within the physical realm. Data collection consists of interviews, cultural domain iii analysis, participant observation and surveys in order to address the element of self- definition or agency within the research population. In order to situate the structural elements (bio-politics) my study requires an in depth examination and critique of the United States Census categories, a structural element that imposes the racial categories of White and Caucasian onto the population. I also explore, through interviews and cultural domain analysis, the disparity between Northern/Southern Italian and Italian American culture, and how this divide is manifest within the physical realm. The contribution to anthropological inquiry this study provides is to devise an alternate means to explore the meaning behind the state constructs evident in such simplistically derived categories of Caucasian or White. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I dedicate this thesis with much gratitude to all of my wonderful research participants and friends who welcomed me into their lives and shared their culture with me. Thanks to committee members: Dr. Jiemin Bao, Dr. Heidi Swank, Dr. Daniel Benyshek and Dr. Anthony Ferri. Thanks to my family for their continued support throughout all of my endeavors. v TABLE OF CONTENTS THESIS APPROVAL ......................................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii AKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................... v INTRODUCTION INTERTWINING VARIABLES OF CLASS AND CULTURE ... 1 Categorization: A National Obsession .................................................................... 5 Shifting Frames of Reference: Ethnic Categories, Power and the Census ............. 9 Transitioning and Retransitioning “Race” ............................................................ 13 Otherness, Continually Revamped........................................................................ 17 Why Italians? White or Not Quite ........................................................................ 20 Whiteness in the New Millennium ....................................................................... 21 Theoretical Aims ................................................................................................... 24 Setting of the Study: The Vegas Valley and Whiteness in the West .................... 31 Methodology: Gauging Degrees of Whiteness ..................................................... 32 CHAPTER 1 TRANSITIONS: FROM THE ARRIVAL OF THE IMMIGRANT TO MANIFESTATIONS OF THE WHITE ETHNIC ................. 39 Demography of the Immigrant Population ........................................................... 40 Whiteness Emerges: Emergence of the White “Other” ........................................ 52 CHAPTER 2 FINDING THE FOREIGN IN THE FAMILIAR: THE SETTING OF THE STUDY AND THE ROLE OF THE RESEARCHER IN THE FIELD .................................................................................... 62 The Club……........................................................................................................ 66 Enter the Neophyte ............................................................................................... 80 Race Class and Gender in Relation to the Researcher .......................................... 83 Conclusion….. ...................................................................................................... 98 CHAPTER 3 QUESTING FOR IDENTITY: STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF INFLUENCE ................................................................................ 101 Cultural Domain Analysis................................................................................... 106 A Definitive Divide............................................................................................. 112 Whiteness Manifest in the Physical Realm ......................................................... 127 Categorization Revisited ..................................................................................... 132 Conclusion….. .................................................................................................... 144 CHAPTER 4 NEGOTIATING PLACE AND SPACE: IDENTITY IN THE BROADER SCOPE ..................................................................... 146 Political Economy of Las Vegas: The Valley Emerges ...................................... 146 Stereotypes as a Form of Regulation .................................................................. 169 Conclusion….. .................................................................................................... 195 CHAPTER 5 THE CLASS EQUALS CULTURE CONUNDRUM: MALADY OF MIDDLE CLASS ITALIAN AMERICANS ......................... 197 The Performance of Class ................................................................................... 205 Class Manifest in the Physical Realm ................................................................. 225 Anatomo-politics, Class Equals Culture and the Media ..................................... 229 CONCLUSION MEDDIGANS, MAINTAINING ETHNICITY AND MAKING IDENTITY: HOW ITALIAN AMERICAN ETHNIC IDENTITY IS REFLECTED AND EXERCISED .......................................... 239 Categorization Revisited: An Entrenched Source of Power ............................... 247 Italian American Identity and the Diversity Encompassed Within: a Confluence of Factors………. ...................................................................................................