Italy on the Pacific : San Francisco's Italian Americans / Sebastian Fichera.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fichera, Sebastian, 1947-

Series:

Italian and Italian American studies (Palgrave Macmillan (Firm))

Italian and Italian American studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Italian Americans--California--San Francisco--History.

Italian Americans.

Immigrants--California--San Francisco--History.

Immigrants.

History.

San Francisco (Calif.)--History.

San Francisco (Calif.).

California--San Francisco.

Physical Description:

viii, 239 pages ; 22 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Summary:

This book details the Italian immigrant experience in San Francisco from the Gold Rush to the Mayoralty of George Moscone-which is to say the entire life cycle of the Italian community. Author Sebastian Fichera explores the immigrant experience within the context of larger issues, such as the ways in which the process of adopting a national identity in America differed from that of Italy's. San Francisco's Italian immigrants are seen integrating into American society fairly smoothly-in sharp contrast to the immigrant experience in a city like Chicago, where the assimilation process broke down in dramatic ways. Nonetheless, Fichera concludes that, on the whole, America in general and San Francisco in particular did a better job at creating Americans that Italy did with fostering Italian identity among a similar population. Overall, this book uses San Francisco as an illuminating exploration of the immigrant experience, exploring broad questions of community, national identity, and assimilation. Book jacket.

Contents:

Pioneers: kindling an Italian group consciousness in early San Francisco

The emigration: creating Italy without Italians

The immigrant economy: making assets out of liabilities

Their signature calling: Italian American wine making comes of age

North Beach: a community building thrust achieves critical mass

Day of reckoning: fasces vs. stars and stripes and the road to World War II

Long journey home: passing into the wider currents of American life

Epilogue: creating Americans.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780230338784

023033878X

OCLC:

726620706