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Historians have paid little attention to the fate of minorities at times of acute crises. This book addresses the case of two different types of Italians in Britain during the Second World War: the immigrants, who became 'enemy aliens' overnight, and the prisoners of war (POWs), who were brought to this country to compensate for the lack of manpower. The material life and the contrasting sentiments of both groups of Italians are studied against a background of changing government policies towards 'enemy aliens' and POWs. People with a weak sense of nationhood, the Italians' strongest loyalties are normally towards their own families and kin. A surrogate national sentiment was enhanced, in the case of immigrants by their condition of foreigners confined to the margin of society; in the case of the POWs, by their condition of men humiliated in defeat and captivity. Yet, in both instances ambiguity and dislocation of sentiments made the central issue of divided loyalties a complex and painful - albeit enriching - experience. The book is mainly based on archival - mostly unused - sources; direct private testimonies, both written and oral, are also taken into account.
Major theme: Italian adaptation to and conflict with the host society.
Immigrants in Britain are often viewed as just that - 'immigrants'. Their experiences as migrants are sidelined in favour of discussions about assimilation and integration - how 'they' adapt to 'us'. This book refocuses debates about migration by following the experiences, memories and perceptions of three migrant groups in Britain: the Polish, Italian and Greek-Cypriot populations. In tracing some of the key themes of migration narratives, Kathy Burrell illustrates that the act of migration creates enduring legacies which continue to influence the everyday lives of migrants long after they have moved. The book is structured around four key themes. The first is the migration process itself. ...
Racializing the Soldier explores the impact of racial beliefs on the formation and development of modern armed forces and the ways in which these forces have been presented and historicized from a global perspective. With a wide geographical and temporal spread, the collection looks at the disparate ways that race has influenced military development. In particular, it explores the extent to which ideas of racial hierarchy and type have conditioned thinking about what kinds of soldiers should be used and in what roles. This volume offers a highly original military, social and cultural history, questioning the borders both of racialization and of the military itself. It considers the extent to...
This book examines attitudes towards German held captive in Britain, drawing on original archival material including newspaper and newsreel content, diaries, sociological surveys and opinion polls, as well as official documentation and the archives of pressure groups and protest movements. Moving beyond conventional assessments of POW treatment which have focused on the development of policy, diplomatic relations, and the experience of the POWs themselves, this study refocuses the debate onto the attitude of the British public towards the standard of treatment of German POWs. In so doing, it reveals that the issue of POW treatment intersected with discussions of state power, human rights, gender relations, civility, and national character.
A rethinking of popular political movements, this book looks at new, emerging, mass visions and analyses their impact and potential in new ways.
The Sound Studies Reader is a groundbreaking anthology blending recent work that self-consciously describes itself as 'sound studies' with earlier and lesser known scholarship on sound.
This volume studies the literary voices of the Italian diaspora in Britain, including 21 authors and 34 pieces of prose, verse, and drama. This book shows how authors both recount the history of the migrant community in the period 1880-1980 while creatively experimenting with hybrid forms of expression and blending words with visuals. Literary Voices of the Italian Diaspora in Britain discusses topical issues like migration and social integration, cultures and foods in transition, as well as plurilingualism. The book pays special attention to discussions of the horrors of the Second World War – especially on the tragedy of the Arandora Star (2nd July 1940) – to show this literary community’s political commitments. More importantly, it will begin to fill the void left by a critical tradition which has only appreciated the northern American and Australian branches of Italian writing.
This book examines the efforts of the government in Scotland to manage the increase of migrants travelling to Britain at the end of the nineteenth century. Focussing on the period between 1885 and 1914, the book explores how the Scottish machinery of government handled the administration of 'foreigners.' The author uses a comparative, thematic approach to analyse migrant experiences, identities, and relationships with state institutions. Drawing from state records held by the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh, the book argues that Scottish officials in semi-autonomous boards began to recognise, describe and enumerate the presence of the 'foreigner' in the early twentieth century, fra...
London's Soho district underwent a spectacular transformation between the late Victorian era and the end of the Second World War: its old buildings and dark streets infamous for sex, crime, political disloyalty, and ethnic diversity became a center of culinary and cultural tourism servicing patrons of nearby shops and theaters. Indulgences for the privileged and the upwardly mobile edged a dangerous, transgressive space imagined to be "outside" the nation. Treating Soho as exceptional, but also representative of London's urban transformation, Judith Walkowitz shows how the area's foreignness and porousness were key to the explosion of culture and development of modernity in the first half of the twentieth century. She draws on a vast and unusual range of sources to stitch together a rich patchwork quilt of vivid stories and unforgettable characters, revealing how Soho became a showcase for a new cosmopolitan identity.