Ethnicity, Emotions, and Relations in an Italian-American Suburb

Abstract

This dissertation examines the persistence of Italian-American ethnicity in the suburbs of Providence, Rhode Island. Through a year and a half of ethnographic fieldwork among 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation Italian-Americans, I document some of the local complexities which have led to the continued relevance of ethnic heritage in everyday life. I show how, over the course of social interaction, the legacies of Italian-American ethnicity in this particular place work to shape individuals' feelings of self-worth, to structure their relations with others, to limit occupational and residential mobility, and to inform interpretations of current events. These findings a.) run contrary to the expectations of scholars who view ethnicity for late-generation European groups as no more than "symbolic" (Gans, 1979), b.) contribute to a better understanding of the current historical moment in the United States, and c.) complicate sociological perspectives on assimilation and ethnic group relations more generally.