It’s Italian American Heritage Month! Get to know our Italian and cultural studies journals to stay up to date on new research, book reviews, creative work, and more. Plus, check out a recommended recent article from each!
Diasporic Italy: Journal of the Italian American Studies Association
Diasporic Italy: Journal of the Italian American Studies Association is a scholarly journal devoted to the Italian American diaspora, focusing on timely and varied approaches to criticism and analysis of the field by presenting new perspectives and research on transnational issues.
“An Italian Stallion, an American Hero: (De) Constructing the Italian American Father in the Blockbuster Age of Hollywood” by Michael-Chrysovalantis Markodimitrakis
This article examines the evolving representation of fatherhood and ethnic identity in the Rocky and Creed film series, focusing on the transformation of Rocky Balboa from an emblematic Italian American hero to a mentor navigating shifting cultural and racial dynamics. Through an analysis of Rocky V (1990), Rocky Balboa (2006), Creed (2015), and Creed II (2018), the study explores how the franchise reconfigures traditional notions of Italian American masculinity and fatherhood.
Italian Americana isa dedicated to exploring the Italian emigrant/immigrant experience through both scholarly and creative works. Its mission is to publish scholarly and creative works that explore the topic of Italian Americanness from a wide variety of perspectives.
“Christ in Concrete: Disability in the Italian American Experience” by Arianna Salomon
This article proposes a new reading of the 1939 Italian American classic Christ in Concrete by Pietro di Donato through the lens of disability studies and a perspective of intersectionality. Salomon argues that the concepts of normality, impairment, and disability shed a new light on the experience of the Italian American urban communities of the time.
Italica features original scholarly articles on all aspects of Italian language, literature, and culture as well as studies on language pedagogy. The journal serves members of the American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI) and other readers interested in things Italian through the publication of reviews, announcements, and bibliographies.
“‘Il miglior fabbro’: In Memory of Joseph Tusiani” by Paolo A. Giordana and Anthony Julian Tamburri
This essay consists of Giordana and Tamburri’s personal reflections on the long life and career of Italian American poet and translator Joseph Tusiani. The authors address Tusiani’s major accomplishments and underscore the importance of his poetry within his greater literary production as also literary critic, translator, and novelist.
Journal of American Ethnic History
The Journal of American Ethnic History addresses various aspects of North American immigration history and American ethnic history, including background of emigration, ethnic and racial groups, Native Americans, race and ethnic relations, immigration policies, and the processes of incorporation, integration, and acculturation. It is the official journal of the Immigration and Ethnic History Society.
“Little Italy in the Great War: Philadelphia’s Italians on the Battlefield and Home Front” by Richard N. Juliani
Richard Juliani examines particularly how the Italian American community in Philadelphia (Little Italy) navigated changing perceptions of “American” while they also embraced their ethnic Italian heritage.