L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 26 T h e A m e r i c a n S t u d i e s A s s o c i a t i o n o f I t a l y (AISNA - Associazione I t a l i a n a d i S t u d i N o r d - A m e r i c a n i ) – t h a t f o s t e r s e x c h a n g e a n d d e b a t e i n t h e fields of North American litera- ture and language, history, poli- tics, society, cinema - is in very good hands. In fact, Elisabetta Vezzosi, full professor of North American h i s t o r y a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f T r i e s t e ( c a p i t a l o f t h e a u t o n o m o u s r e g i o n o f I t a l y , Friuli-Venezia Giulia), has dis- sected far and wide the phenom- enon of immigration, that cer- tainly shaped the past of the United States, and, in the era of globalization and free mobility, shall keep informing its present and its future. L e t ' s n o t f o r g e t t h a t , a s Cicero told us in his De Oratore, " H i s t o r y i s l i f e ' s t e a c h e r . " Nothing good can come out of provincialism and marginaliza- tion. Please, introduce yourself. What is your cultural back- ground and how did you devel- op your interest in delving into the history of USA and their institutions? I am full professor of North A m e r i c a n h i s t o r y a t t h e University of Trieste. I am also chair of the PhD in "History of S o c i e t i e s , I n s t i t u t i o n s a n d T h o u g h t . F r o m M e d i e v a l t o Contemporary History." My passion towards the his- tory of the USA hails from my s t u d i e s a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Florence, where I was a contem- porary history major. Above all, I was captivated by the classes t a u g h t b y A n n a M a r i a Martellone, professor of North American history. I graduated with my thesis on Italian immigrants, members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), an international labor union active in the US. Upon graduation, I got a PhD in history and institutions of North America. My doctorate's thesis dealt with Italian immi- g r a n t s a s s e m b l e d i n t h e U S ' Socialist Party. I conducted a large part of m y r e s e a r c h e s i n t h e U n i t e d States themselves. Particularly key to my investigation was the Immigration History Research Center in Minneapolis, back then chaired by Italian-American historian Rudolph J. Vecoli. Your main fields of study h a v e b e e n t h e h i s t o r y o f Italian political immigration towards North America, and a comparison between welfare p o l i c y i n I t a l y a n d t h e U S . Could you elaborate on both? My initial studies focused on the relationship between Italian immigrants and US institutions, especially political parties and labor unions. My main scope was to investigate whether, and to what extent, those institutions were places for inclusion and Americanization, or if, even in those contexts, immigrants were marginalized. As far as my investigation on welfare policies in the US, I focused on agencies, that since early 1900s, have been fighting for women's and their children's rights, such as the Children's Bureau. The comparative studies dealt particularly with the New Deal, that characterized the 30s in the U S , a s o p p o s e d t o I t a l y ' s Fascism. M o r e r e c e n t l y , I ' v e b e e n looking into the internationalist e f f o r t s c a r r i e d o n b y A f r o - American women, as well as the associations that, during the Cold War, mobilized towards the recognition of human rights for soviet scientists, particularly the Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS). In your opinion, what are some of the possible scenarios, following today's closure of t h e b o r d e r s b y t h e U S Government? I believe it is utterly wrong for every country to close the borders. In the case of United S t a t e s , t h a t i s e v e n w o r s e because their history, despite many contradictions, has always been resting on the values of reception and tolerance. Today's closure of borders r e p r e s e n t s a n u n a c c e p t a b l e human rights violation and will lead the USA to bitter internal conflicts, as well as a profound isolation from much of the rest of the world. What are your main tasks and responsibilities as current President of the American Studies Association of Italy (AISNA, Associazione Italiana di Studi Nord-Americani)? What are the association's main goals? My duties, as President of the American Studies Association of Italy (AISNA), consist in being i n t o u c h w i t h t h e O f f i c e o f P u b l i c A f f a i r s , a t t h e U S Embassy in Rome, as well as with the universities that cur- rently offer courses in North American history and literature, or where those programs might be introduced. I also coordinate all the activities within the asso- ciation and foster research and scientific investigation by our members. T h e i n s t i t u t i o n a l a i m o f A I S N A - a m e m b e r o f t h e E u r o p e a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f American Studies (EAAS), and of the International American Studies Association (IASA) - is to promote research, teaching and culture in the field of North A m e r i c a n s t u d i e s i n I t a l y , encouraging transnational col- l a b o r a t i o n a n d e x c h a n g e between our members, scholars and associations all over the world. To this end, AISNA orga- nizes meetings and lectures, also in collaboration with Italian uni- v e r s i t i e s a n d t h e C e n t e r f o r American Studies in Rome, cul- minating every other year in an International Conference. A t t h e m o m e n t , A I S N A d e v o t e s s t r o n g a t t e n t i o n t o young scholars of the Graduate Forum who have an interest in the study of North American lit- erature, history, arts, culture, society and institutions. Every year, AISNA awards two grants – Premio Lombardo and Premio Caterina Gullì – to the best degree theses on North American topics, discussed the previous year at an Italian uni- versity. S i n c e 2 0 0 5 , A I S N A h a s started a series of interdiscipli- nary seminars in collaboration w i t h C e n t e r f o r A m e r i c a n Studies Association in Rome and the Fulbright Commission. C ould you point out for us s o m e h i g h l i g h t s i n o v e r a decade of cultural debate and exchange? Those interdisciplinary semi- nars have been an important p o i n t o f r e f e r e n c e f o r m a n y y o u n g s c h o l a r s i n t e r e s t e d i n North American studies. Over the years, they have been dis- cussing not only history and lit- erature, but also current affairs and politics. The last seminar, that inter- twined North American culture, history and literature, explored the theme, "The Dominant and t h e S u b a l t e r n . " S c h o l a r Alessandro Portelli gave us a lecture on "Springsteen, work, dreams, and the white working c l a s s i n t h e a g e o f D o n a l d Trump." Have you ever been to Los Angeles and what's your opin- ion of the city? I've been in Los Angeles, in the late 90s. To me, the city and its cultural institutions is a "social lab" of incredible rele- vance. I wish to come back soon, so that I can experience first-hand its evolution in the last twenty years. Elisabetta Vezzosi, full professor of North American history at the University of Trieste A Talk with Elisabetta Vezzosi, President of AISNA VALERIO VIALE LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS

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