'Le Strombolane' (women of Stromboli) education and ethnic identity of women from southern Italian descent in New Zealand

Abstract

This study focuses on the lives of six women of Southern Italian descent, whose families immigrated to New Zealand from Stromboli, in Southern Italy; their parents emigrated from Stromboli and one from Massalubrense, Naples. This study highlights their experiences of education in this country during the period 1950-1970s, in which the mono-cultural views in New Zealand during this timeframe are reflected. The women in this study were educated through Catholic schooling, which, while ignoring their home ethnicity, provided a continuity between religious practices and rituals in their home and school context. This research examines the influence of two cultural groups on the formation of ethnic identity in second-generation descendants, and the importance of historical and generational links in the transference of their home values to third generation descendants. It emphasises the negative portrayal of Southern Italian women in early literature where they were depicted as oppressed within the traditional family and marginalised in the new country. In this country, Italian immigrants were viewed through their 'otherness' during the early 20th century. This was particularly evident during WWII when the Italians were further isolated from the New Zealand population through their 'alien' status during the war. This study considers the influence on these negative views on the lives of second-generation descendants. The women who participated in this study represent a unique group of Southern Italian descendants. Although their parents emigrated to New Zealand for improved economic conditions and to re-unite their families, they were also motivated to leave Italy by the hazardous living conditions on their island home. The frequent eruptions of Stromboli, considered to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world in the world, prompted the diaspora of Strombolani inhabitants during the early 20th century, many of whom settled in New Zealand. As descendants of these immigrant families, the women in this study have become 'custodians' of their cultural identity and are reclaiming the traditions and values of their parents for future generations. This study gives an insight into their early lives in this country and the many influences on their ethnic identity. It highlights the bicultural abilities of second-generation descendants who have integrated aspects of both cultures in the formation of an authentic identity, while the importance of preserving a cultural heritage for the descendants of small diasporic groups, is also emphasised.