I have found over 30 books, articles, and even legal proceedings related to Italian diaspora identity in some manner. Many of these relate specifically to Brazil, Argentina, and/or the United States, all of which were popular destinations for migrants from the Italian peninsula in the mid-to-late 1800s and early 1900s. Many migrant communities even predated the formation of Italy itself, instead being focused on regional or even village identities. As such, the concept of an Italian diaspora was created before and alongside the concept of Italy, as opposed to being formed after the fact.

This simultaneous creation meant that different Italian groups in the Americas were less homogenous than they may have appeared to an outsider. They differed in origin, affiliation with labor movements, and desires to move back to Italy among many other factors, with groups like the Italian Kingdom, the Catholic Church, and eventually the Italian Fascist regime aiming to influence this ever-growing population. I hope to increase awareness of these different ideas of being Italian outisde of Italy, especially with regards to left-leaning political activism and alliances with other immigrant groups, as I continue my research (which will include a survey about cultural affiliation.) This is merely one example of the complexities of ethnic identity, and is what I chose to focus on for this paper since I have a large Italian immigrant family and thus am personally connected with this. I look forward to sharing more information and survey analysis in the weeks to come!