Italian General Information

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The People

Name of Country Italy

Population 58 million (July 2005 estimate)

Government Republic

Ethnic Groups Predominantly Italian and includes small clusters of German-Italian, French-Italian, Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south.

Religions Predominantly Roman Catholic with long established Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim community.

Languages Italian is the official language; in some border areas other languages such as German, French and Slovene.

Background

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula and Sicily were united under King Victor Emmanuel. Dissatisfaction over the Versailles Agreement following World War I led to the rapid rise of the Fascist Party led by Benito Mussolini. Fearing a Fascist march on Rome, Emmanuel was pressured into asking Mussolini to form a government in October 1922.

Following the alliance with Nazi Germany before and at the start of WW II, Mussolini was dismissed and imprisoned by Emmanuel in July 1943. The new Prime Minister concluded an armistice with the Allies in September 1943 and declared war on Germany in October of that year.

Assisted by US Marshall Aid and later by European Union (EU) membership, Italy steadily recovered from post-war economic depression and in the 1960s entered a phase of rapid industrial growth. Serious economic problems remain in the South and successive governments have failed to redress them. In addition, various initiatives by authorities have had only limited impact on the pervasive power of the Mafia.

Today, the country is still divided into the more urban North and the mostly rural South. The more prosperous North contains most of Italy's larger cities and about two-thirds of the country's population. The agricultural South has a smaller population and a more limited economy.

Persistent problems for Italy include unstable governments, high unemployment, divisions of rich and poor, organised crime, inflation, and corruption.

History of Migration to Australia

James Matra was the first recognised Italian to visit Australia with James Cook in 1778 and has a suburb named after him: Matraville in Sydney. The presence of Italian people in Australia goes back to 1793 with the arrival of the ship Bellona, carrying settlers to the new colony.

The Gold Rush between 1851 and 1860 attracted the first Italian migrants to Australia. By 1880 some 300 Italian migrants founded 'New Italy' in Northern NSW. By 1901, the year of federation, the Italian born population in Australia was nearly 6,000. By 1921 small groups of Italians had settled in every state, with subsequent migration expanding existing settlements rather than creating new areas. In the late 1920s a core of the Italian community began to form in Leichhardt in Sydney's inner west.

The Italian born population in Australia had increased to some 40,000 people by WW II. The main areas of settlement shifted at this time from the eastern states to Western Australia where new industries were emerging.

The largest influx of Italian people occurred in post war years between 1951 and the 1960s. People mainly came from farming communities, due to economic factors, with demand for labour and the introduction of the assisted passage scheme by the Australian government.

During this time Australia needed factory workers and various skilled workers for engineering projects such as the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme and the creation of new industries.

In 1924, reacting to US quotas restricting immigration from Southern Europe, Australia had passed legislation that restricted the admission of Italian immigrants. It was not until the 1950s that more immigration from Italy occurred, through migration of families. A great proportion of these migrants settled in working class inner Sydney suburbs, including Darlinghurst and Redfern. They came largely from close knit communities in small rural towns and villages of Sicily and Calabria, among others. By the 1960s Leichhardt was truly Sydney's 'Little Italy' and it offered cheap housing and access to employment, Italian shops and businesses. The Italian born population peaked in 1971 at nearly 290,000 after which Italian migration considerably decreased. The vast majority of Italian born migrants arrived before 1981.

Although Italians have made considerable contributions to Australia's economy and cultural life, they are still under-represented in decision-making bodies and processes. This situation should change in the near future, however, as second and third generation Italians have educational opportunities not available to their parents.

As one of the largest NESB groups the Italian community in Australia has had a significant impact on the Australian culture and plays a leading role in the multicultural arena.

Some Cultural Aspects of Italian Life

The dominant religion of Italy is Roman Catholicism, the nominated faith of about 98% of the people. However, as in many Western Countries, the Catholic Church's role in Italy is declining, with only about 25 per cent of Italians attending Mass regularly. A law ratified in 1985 abolished Roman Catholicism as the official state religion and ended mandatory religious instruction in public schools. The constitution guarantees freedom of worship to the religious minorities, which are primarily Protestant, Muslim, and Jewish.

From antiquity to modern times, Italy has played a central role in world culture. Italians have contributed some of the world's most admired sculpture, architecture, painting, literature and music, particularly opera.

Although the nation was politically unified less than 150 years ago, most Italians do not consider themselves to be a 'new' people, but see themselves as the descendants of the ancient Romans. Moreover, regional differences persist because of natural geographical boundaries and the disparate cultural heritage that has come from the Greeks, Etruscans, Arabs, Normans, and Lombards. Regionalism is evident in persistent local dialects, holidays, festivals, songs, and regional cuisine.

Central to many Italian lives is the tradition of the family as a guiding force and focus of loyalty. Many Italians also see work as being an important aspect of their culture and society.

Attitudes towards People with Disability

In line with many other communities, the traditional Italian community view of disability is one of illness. In the 1950s and 1960s it was quite common for people with disability to travel to Italy to undergo 'treatment'. Very few older people in the Australian Italian community still hold that view.

As a predominantly patriarchal community, Italian communities may place more restrictions on girls with disability than on boys. One of the results of this may be that more men with disability have a spouse, while women with disability are considered unsuitable for marriage.

Marta
Marta was born with cerebral palsy in Australia to Italian parents. Her parents have never been ashamed of their daughter and always take Marta out wherever they go, but they don't let Marta out on her own.

On the one hand they think she will never find a husband, but on the other hand they are worried for her safety. Recently she has met a young man her age, but the parents are against the relationship, believing that the man will just abuse her.

Although the influence of Catholicism has significantly reduced in the past two decades, the relationship between culture and religion within the Italian community cannot be underestimated, especially among people born in Italy. Disability can be seen as a taboo and stigma resulting in a person with disability and their family being isolated.

However, people with disability are generally well cared for within the family environment. Traditionally, many Italian families have not sought any outside support or assistance, but depend on their spouse and extended family networks to provide support when the need arises, rather than using the service system or external support. Second generation Italians, however, are more aware of disability issues and services and tend to use a mixture of services from home and outside. Nevertheless, many people with disability and their families lack appropriate information and knowledge. This causes many problems for people with disability wanting to improve the quality of their life and the lives of their family members.

Vittorio
Vittorio is 29 years old and of Italian background. He has a physical and intellectual disability. Although his parents used not to treat him like an adult, they are learning that he has skills and abilities and that he needs a chance to develop them.

A couple of weeks ago Vittorio moved into a small flat close to his parents and close to the family's export business where he works 3 days a week. Currently Vittorio attends a living skills program. Among the things he is learning are cooking and shopping. He hopes to invite his family for dinner soon.

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