Most people in Vancouver have family immigrant stories. That cultural mosaic is a topic that fascinates the researcher Eva Sajoo.
“It’s something that makes us both similar, and distinctive at the same time,” says Sajoo.
Eva Sajoo, research assistant at SFU. | Photo courtesy of SFU
In a new study published last March for Simon Fraser University and Il Centro, the Italian Cultural Centre of Vancouver, she focused on the city’s third-generation Italians and found out that these young people are more interested in maintaining their original cultural identity than were their immediate predecessors.
The Source : How did you decide to make this research about the Italian community more than another one?
Eva Sajoo : The third generation in an immigrant community seems to have an increased interest in where their families came from: reclaiming language and traditions that their parents weren’t so interested in. The director of the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver was talking about a rise in the number of young Italians coming in to take Italian language classes. We had a mutual interest in understanding more about what was driving this trend.
T.S. : How did this generation’s grandparents arrived in Canada and why?
E.S. : Most of them came to Canada looking for a better life –
better economic opportunities. Many came from poor rural areas in Italy, where making a decent living was becoming harder and harder. There are so many stories of Italians arriving here with very little money, leaving behind everyone they knew, and building new lives for themselves here from the ground up. A lot of it was driven by sheer determination.
T.S. : How big is the third generation Italian community in Vancouver today?
E.S. : There is a large Italian community in the city. The cafes and restaurants are a clear indication. You can see that on Commercial Drive, on Hastings Street and, of course, whenever the World Cup is on. North Burnaby and East Vancouver are the neighborhoods where the Italian community is most concentrated. You will see Italian societies picnicking and playing bocci in Confederation Park, you can get your Italian food at BOSA Foods and Cioffi’s Deli and, of course, there is the massive street festival that is Italian Day on Commercial Drive.
T.S. : What is the importance of their Italian identity? Is there any struggle in this double identity inherited from the past?
E.S. : For most people, being Italian was something they were very proud of. It was about being rooted in a larger history and inheriting a rich culture. But it was not a conflict with being Canadian. Getting in touch with their ethnic heritage was seen as an additional strand in their Canadian identity. For some who visited Italy, that made them feel at home – or helped them understand what made their grandparents the way they were. But for many others, it reinforced their difference, helping them to see how different being Italian-Canadian really was.
Religion was one of the things that people seemed to struggle with a bit. Roman Catholicism is a big part of Italian traditions and holidays. Going to church and catechism school as children is something a lot of third generation Italians have in common. However, as adults, most did not practice the faith and identified as ‘lapsed Catholics’. Religion had become more a part of traditions than personal belief.
T.S. : What is the role played by community centers for this generation?
E.S. : The role of the Italian Cultural Centre (Il Centro) is something that is evolving with a museum, a film festival, language classes and events around food and music. While they draw a lot of Italians, they are also open to the public. In this way, the Centre both provides for the Italian community, as well as offering a taste of Italian culture to the city. This study is that the types of events and services they offer will have to change, based on the needs and desires of the third generation.
T.S. : Were you surprised by the results of this study?
E.S. : We got 104 responses; it was a snapshot of the Vancouver population. The study confirmed our hunch : that there definitely is a higher level of interest in culture among third generation Italians. At this point, we are looking at ways of comparing the Italian experience to other immigrant communities. Does the third generation behave the same way in every community?
Being ‘Ethnic’: Third Generation Italian Identity in Vancouver www.sfu.ca/diaspora-institute/research/being-ethnic.html
