| This dissertation investigates the way the residents of Bergamo, Italy perceive the impact immigration is having on their community and society, and how this in turn affects the way the residents interact with the immigrants. Drawing from published research on immigration and multiculturalism, especially those studies that focus on the reaction of a native population to the arrival of foreigners, and based on eighteen months of fieldwork, I address the relatively new phenomenon of immigration to Italy from an anthropological perspective. Specifically, I examine how the social and ideological construction of belonging, community, place, hierarchy, deviance, and citizenship by the Italian residents of Bergamo influence their interaction with and opinions of immigrants. The arrival of foreign migrants in Bergamo and Italy is occurring within an already complex, symbolic process of community construction. There are different senses of belonging linked to localism, regionalism, nationalism, religion, ideology, and a new European identity that both compete and struggle against one another depending on the context. By skillfully manipulating these symbols of belonging to mobilize a politically disenchanted segment of the population, the Lega Nord, the northern secessionist-minded political party, has gained popularity in the area around Bergamo. Moreover, this party has garnered much success by portraying immigrants as a threat to the local way of life.; Drawing from qualitative fieldwork it is possible to determine what the image of immigrants is in the eyes of the locals and where foreigners fit within their community and the society. Although recent, the arrival of immigrants has not occurred in a vacuum; Italians have pre-existing categories and stereotypes with respect to people from different places. Coupled with current day cues via the media, such categorizations are shaping individuals' perceptions of immigrants. These perceptions as well as individuals' ideology, sense of belonging, and position in the social hierarchy determine how they construct and interpret the "immigrant." By failing to recognize the diversity of the foreign population and the crucial role that immigrants are playing in the economy and society, Italy faces major challenges in the future when addressing pressing issues such as citizenship, multiculturalism, and racism. |
