The very concept of “the Italian people” is relatively new, only gaining popularity during the mid to late 1800s and changing rapidly since then as Italians moved through time and space with their new country. This change—both in definition to encompass the entire peninsula, and in status to correspond with the new country—was especially prominent with Italian immigrants and their descendants in the “New World,” particularly in Brazil, Argentina, and the United States. This paper aims to explore the history of this migration at its height between 1860 and 1940, emphasizing the variety of ways immigrants stayed connected to evolving Italian identities both back home and in their new countries. It will also explore how Italians engaged socially and politically in places where they were looked down on for their immigrant and ethnic identities, while also becoming accepted as white citizens in their new countries through assimilation and participating in colonial efforts.

From the spread of mutual aid societies and the newspaper La Patria in Buenos Aires’ Italian community, to rapid assimilation in Brazil and rise in self-identification as white “colonos” in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, to the attempts by the Italian government to run Italian-language schools in the United States, the Italian diaspora has been undeniably influenced by independent, governmental, and community-based actions to promote their own view of what being Italian outside of Italy meant. Through literature review and primary source analysis regarding Italian-Americans, Italian-Brazilians, and Italian-Argentines, this paper comes to an understanding that the Italian diaspora has historically been made of diverse viewpoints stemming from political and personal connections. These viewpoints then led to diverse forms of political and legal engagement, such as labor strikes among leftist workers, Catholic institutions promoting a standardized Italian language, and even fascist organizations aspiring to connect with Mussolini. Although only a sample of three countries, the analysis of these influences and their resulting impact on Italian communities are essential in order to better understand how immigration politics are inherently tied to Italian immigrant and descendant identity throughout history, and thus how other diaspora identities can be influenced by the same factors.