In the introduction to A Politics of [Self-]Omission, Anthony Tamburri maintains that there is a need to understand the history of Italian immigration to the United States beyond the mass migration of the early twentieth century. To do this, there is a further need to look at the immigration experience through the lens of Italian diaspora studies in a more inclusive way as has been the process for other diasporic communities. Tamburri writes, “All of this is dependent on an Italian/American commitment (impegno) to the application of our culture”.
At an annual conference at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute ex- ploring the relationship between Italy, Italian Americans, and the Pacific Rim, one participant argued that to pass along culture to their children, it is necessary to keep up the “traditions” of Italian American culture. They used canning tomatoes and homemade wine as examples. Here I ask, must we pass down the supposed tradi- tions of a culture chosen by an arbitrary intermediary to appreciate that culture? For me, this idea is analogous to saying that a person must participate in a religion or believe in God to be moral and behave ethically. Extensive research tells us the latter is indeed not true.
![copertina 9791221802849 A Politics of [Self-]Omission](https://www.aracneeditrice.eu/images/covers/9791221802849.jpg)