Italy for Italians. This phrase serves as the platform of Berlusconi’s campaign and his period of rule as Prime Minister. It is a phrase parallel to the opinion of many, but not all Italians. The message is felt by an immigrant searching for work, a traveler exploring outside the geographical locations dominated by the tourist industry, and by a student trying to communicate what they are searching for in a store by way of hand gestures and broken Italian. We have yet to find the answer to the question of what makes a person an authentic Italian, but we have already discussed the top ways to spot a tourist or a foreigner. Ordering coffee to go, wearing sweatshirts and North Face jackets in public, speaking loudly in English, carrying a backpack and camera, and walking in large groups all seem to disqualify a foreigner from being mistaken as a true Italian. But in a country so dependent on foreigners to support its economy and identity, why are there such strong feelings of dislike towards foreigners? Immigrants fill jobs that many Italians refuse to accept, tourists bring vital revenue to the city. This question is not easy to answer because there are likely many answers, possibly an isolated criminal incident that involved a foreigner, maybe because they are an easy scapegoat on which to blame problems, or even that the animosity has been passed down from previous generations.
Regardless of Italian opinion, immigrants and foreigners are an integral part of the country’s identity and economy, and this is evident in the marketplace. Our excursion to the Esquilino marketplace was eye opening, juxtaposing the touristy environment of our current home of the Campo de’ Fiori. Exploring the Esquilino market alone for a while, I first noticed the absence of the stalls filled with I Love Roma sweatshirts and magnets, the absence of those shiny, puffy navy blue jackets that every Italian seems to own. I heard very little English, besides the frequent accented “Hello!” as I passed through the rows of stalls. All the staples of a market were present, mounds of produce, large pig faces that stared blankly forward, a variety of fish displayed on beds of ice, bags of grain and spices, and even stalls with shoes, bags, and dresses. I saw very few stalls selling pasta or traditional olive oil, indicating to me that expressing a stereotypically Italian identity was not a priority to many of the shopkeepers.
But what differentiated this market from others that I have visited is the variety of people, food, and products available. It is ethnically diverse, filled with immigrants and foreigners selling products from their homeland, shopping for foods and spices that allow them to cook their favorite dish from their country of origin. Seeing this market as a community center brings two distinct ideas to mind. First, the Esquilino market serves as a place where immigrants are able to come together as one, asserting their identity as a single community, immigrants. To me, being in the market again raised the question of what exactly it means to be Italian. Does a person have to be born in Italy, do they have to be full-blooded Italian, do they have to live in the country? Why do these people who live and work in the country, speak Italian, and assimilate into Italian culture have less of a right to be here than a full-blooded Italian?
At the same time, this market can be seen as a place of division instead of unity, a place where individuals display and express their unique national identity, setting themselves apart amongst a sea of immigrants from all around the world. Both ways of expressing one’s identity can be positive for those who inhabit Italy as a second home. Both allow them a way to express their identity and practice their culture aside from their assimilation into traditional Italian life. This marketplace expresses Italian identity in a unique way, showing that being Italian is not all about pasta and Bolognese sauce, olive oil and pizza. It shows that at heart, though native Italians may deny it, Italy is truly a nation of immigrants. With immigrants making up seven percent of its population, the overwhelmingly xenophobic attitude seems a bit contradictory. In a nation that relies so heavily on laborers to support their economy, why would the people oppose outside laborers filling positions that native Italians will not?
We suffer from the same syndrome in the US, subdued (or maybe not so subdued) biases that have either been learned from isolated experiences or passed down from previous generations affect our opinions on both the social and political consequences of immigration. We see the borderland of the marketplace expressed there too. Walk through the food court at a local shopping mall. In my experience, jobs at McDonald’s used to be reserved for the high school student wanting a part time job, now it is not uncommon for a recent immigrant with a heavy accent and broken English to take your order. People have their opinions of immigrants, illegal or not, but it cannot be denied that they are an integral part of our economy in the US. Recent immigrants searching for a better life in America are more than likely to take a low paying job working fast food, cleaning houses, or working in agriculture because it is an opportunity to earn money. Very few high school students of today are willing to fill these positions unless they have no other option. I do not mean to generalize, for every person who opposes the immigrant voice there is another who supports it, and these are simply my observations.
As I have discovered this past week, the marketplace is a perfect location to observe borders and the consequences of them. Different nationalities can be explicitly observed by the seeing the different products that selling. A border may manifest itself through a language barrier between the customer and entrepreneur. And as always, the mold of the past can influence the position that a person is able to fill today. Sometimes it is more comfortable to simply do what is expected, to follow the career path of those like you who came before instead of initiating change.
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