Italy’s declaration of war on Britain in June 1940 had devastating consequences for Italian immigrant families living in Scotland signalling their traumatic construction as the ‘enemy other’. Through an analysis of personal testimonies and previously unpublished archival material, this book takes a case study of a long-established immigrant group and explores how notions of belonging and citizenship are undermined at a time of war.
Overall, this book considers how wartime events affected the construction or Italian identity in Britain. It makes a groundbreaking and original contribution to the social and cultural history of Britain during World War Two as well as the wider literature on war, memory and ethnicity. It will appeal to scholars and students of British and Scottish cultural and social history and the history of World War II.
Table of Content
Dedication
List of figures
List of abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. ‘I didn’t want to be Italian at all’: representations and realities
2. ‘Long live Mussolini and Fascismo’ – interwar fascistisation
3. ‘Collar the lot!’: the historiographical legacy of internment
4 . ‘They’re going to kill us!’ Restrictions, riots and relocation
5. ‘I don’t want to fight against my uncles’ – military service in Britain
6. ‘He was shot by the Italians’ – confronting military service overseas
7. ‘My life wasn’t very great’: women on the home front and in the services
8. ‘Non vi scorderemo mai’ – commemoration, memorial and the Arandora Star
Appendix: Respondents’ biographies
Select bibliography
Index
About the author
Wendy Ugolini is a Lecturer in British History at the University of EdinburghMore ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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